Paper Stars
by Saturnalius
Summary: When Luigi suddenly disappears during a vacation, an ancient legend from Sarasaland suddenly proves to be true and incites a multi-world scramble for shards of an ancient star. The heroes work to find Luigi and to collect the star shards before the opposition does, but the mysterious minions of Bleck, and the strangely familiar Mr. L, have every desire to make this impossible.
1. Shooting stars

_(Author's note: This is a dark reimagining of Super Paper Mario. Many of the elements may have changed, some may have stayed the same. You don't need to have played the game to understand the story or know the characters, simply know the world of Super Mario.)_

"C'mon, Luigi! Don't be such a stick in the sand!" Daisy tugged on his arm somewhat sharply. It was so rare they ever took a vacation, and this time, their chosen vacation spot was the beach on Delfino Isle. It was a beautiful summer afternoon. The weather was clear and warm, perfect for swimming. She'd donned her cutest swimsuit covered in daisies along with a pair of sandals. She wanted to swim but she didn't want to swim alone. She wanted Luigi to come with her. "You're not afraid of the water, are you?" she added teasingly.

"Oh don't be so hard on him!" Peach giggled, wrapping her arm around Daisy's. Peach had chosen a simple pink swimsuit with a dark pink wrap around her waist.

"Well I was going to stay and start up dinner," Luigi admitted sheepishly, rubbing the side of his head. They'd managed to get him in a pair of blue swim trunks but he still refused to take off his green t-shirt and go swimming. It wasn't swimming or the water that frightened him. It was the things _in_ it. Cheep cheeps and other things with sharp teeth that weren't particularly fond of swimmers. Despite this being a cheep cheep free beach, he still was stricken with worry over it.

Mario looked up at his younger brother, concerned. He knew that Luigi was afraid of many things. It was easier to count the things he wasn't afraid of. He also knew that Luigi enjoyed cooking. "Are you sure?"

Luigi thought about it for a moment before nodding. He waved the three off as they bound down the sand towards the water. He wasn't being completely honest. He did want to join them, and he probably could overcome his fears, but it was just simpler to stay behind and not drag the fun down. And besides, he was good at cooking. He could do that instead.

He opened the basket that they'd set on the picnic table earlier. Inside were hot dogs and hamburgers packed with ice blocks. Not their normal food, but it was a vacation. They could eat what they wanted, after all.

"I'll help, Luigi!" the ninji hopped onto the bench seat. Ninjetta was Daisy's self-proclaimed retainer, a large ninji who always carried a satchel and wore a bow on her ear. She rarely left her liege's side, even during vacation. She often kept Daisy company in Sarasaland. Ninji had become a common sight in the kingdom after a mass migration of ninji and pidgit in recent years from far off lands. Daisy welcomed them into her kingdom with open arms, and many took up residence in the Chai Kingdom where Daisy herself lived.

"You sure you don't want to join them?" Luigi protested.

Ninjetta nodded. "The princess will be fine, so I'm going to keep you company."

Luigi smiled. He couldn't deny that company would be nice and certainly having an extra hand to help with dinner wouldn't hurt either.

"See? I told you everything'd be fine!" Daisy pointed at the beach. The three had gone into the water far enough to wade but she still could barely see Luigi and Ninjetta firing up the grill.

Peach smiled. "You like him, don't you?"

Daisy stared at her, wide-eyed. "Of course I like him. We all do." She folded her arms, digging her toes into the wet sand. There was a shell down there. She could feel it with her toes and she attempted to pick it up with them. She had flexible toes. Surely she could snag the shell with them. Maybe Luigi would like a shell.

"I mean _like_ -like." Peach leaned against her friend with a devilish grin.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Daisy protested, tensing up. She wasn't wrong, though. Daisy did have a thing for Luigi, but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. What if he didn't return the feelings? What if it ruined their friendship? Or it could be the best thing in the world. She just wasn't ready to say anything yet, but of course her best friend picked up on it.

"You give him such a hard time. Why not just talk to him?" Peach nudged her playfully. She wanted to encourage her friend to find love in her life, but Daisy was always so hesitant. She always wanted to appear tough and strong, and surely she could be tough, strong, _and_ compassionate. They didn't have to be mutually exclusive.

Daisy frowned, digging her toes in the sand again. She'd lost track of the shell, jarred from her thoughts. It was down there somewhere, and she wanted to find it. "Not yet. Not yet."

"And why not?" she nudged her friend again.

Daisy searched for an excuse as her toes located the shell buried in the sand once again. She idly wondered what sort of shell it was, if it had stripes or was one solid color. "I need to find this shell first."

Peach sighed. Always full of excuses. Someday she'll come around and tell Luigi how she truly felt. Daisy certainly deserved to be happy. After Taranga had invaded Sarasaland and turned it upside down, she turned all four kingdoms of Sarasaland into something worth visiting. People of all sorts returned to the lands, making it into a thriving place to live and visit. The land had no known enemies and rarely seemed to be attacked. She'd even hosted a racing track for their last karting venture in the deserts of the Birabuto kingdom. She really deserved to be happy.

...

The sun began to fall further down in the sky as the smell of barbecue wafted down the beach. Daisy had finally fished the shell out of the sand, disappointed that the shell was occupied. It was a beautiful shell, large and ridged with brown and white stripes, but something else had claimed it, a very angry little crab. So she returned it to the bottom of the water, disappointed she couldn't take it to Luigi. She'd fished for more shells as Peach and Mario splashed each other playfully then returned to the shore to sunbathe. Yet Daisy stayed in the water, mindlessly attempting to find an unoccupied shell in the sand. She dove underneath the waves a few times, fishing out more shells only to be disappointed they were already occupied. The one occupied by a crab had angrily pinched at her before she released it into the watery depths below.

She trudged out of the water, shell-less. Luigi sure knew how to make the best-smelling food, more than enough motivation to abandon her shell search. The sand stuck to her wet legs, giving her sand boots as she nearly scampered past Peach and Mario and glued herself to the bench near where Luigi was grilling. "Oh man, that smells good, Luigi!"

She leaned forward on the table, digging her toes into the sand hoping to find more shells buried within. She knew why she was searching for shells. It was pretty obvious. She was trying to distract herself from her feelings, trying to use the shells as an excuse. Luigi would easily be her better half. His ability to cook was unparalleled. He was kind and compassionate. And he could even be incredibly brave. He wasn't harsh and rough like she was. Granted, those were her good qualities, but they weren't exactly the qualities expected of a princess. No, those were Peach's qualities, but perhaps that was why they got along so well. They were opposites.

He set before her a hamburger with freshly grilled mushrooms. "Ninjetta helped."

She forgot to add his humility to the list. "C'mon, take some credit," she urged him.

"She's right, you know," Mario nudged his brother with a grin. "You could make anything. All I can make is pasta."

He did have a point. Luigi may not be the legendary hero Mario was, but he did have talents elsewhere, mostly domestic things but he had a tendency to tinker with mechanical things. Which reminded him.

As everyone sat down, Luigi took off his hat and removed something from it into his hand, holding his hand out to Daisy. "I made something for you. It's nothing that big or fancy or anything."

Daisy paused her voracious devouring of the hamburger to look up at him. She wiped her mouth with her arm before holding her hands out, cupping them together. She didn't expect anything at all. Was it possible he liked her too?

He opened his hand, dropping a small toy into hers. Her eyes lit up as she saw it. The toy was a small goomba in a green shoe. It had wheels on the bottom and a winder on the side. Carefully, she wound the little key, and set the goomba shoe on the table, watching it sputter about and turn in circles. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" She'd be sure to treasure it. "I'll find a special place for it. No, I'll keep it with me always!"

Luigi blinked, surprised, as he put his hat back on his head. Was she trying to humor him or did she really like it? No, she wouldn't pretend to like something. She was pretty vocal when she didn't like something. She actually liked the simple little thing.

The toy flopped over onto its side, the power from the winder spent on its small journey. Daisy picked it up and wound it again, setting it down before shoving more food into her mouth.

Mario patted his brother on the back. He knew both sides of the situation. They both liked each other, but he didn't want to push Luigi too hard else he'd end up clamming up and never admit to his true feelings. Too little and Luigi simply wouldn't make a move. Yet it seemed that Mario's suggestion to make something for Daisy turned out pretty well. Luigi looked pleased she liked it.

As the sun set, the group retreated down on the beach once again, bellies full and all worn out from playing most of the day. Daisy flopped down in the sand next to Luigi, still fiddling with the toy. She knew it wouldn't roll around in the sand and she didn't want to break the winder, but she loved the whirring sound it made when she wound it. He'd made something for her, just for her, with his own two hands. That meant a lot. She had to say something. Why was she so nervous about this? She had no trouble speaking her mind for other subjects.

Ninjetta shoved her liege, attempting to get them to sit closer to each other. Daisy swatted at the ninji, trying to bat her away. Daisy would do this on her own terms. She didn't need help from anyone. "So uh Luigi."

He glanced over at her, taking his gaze from the stars to her.

"I uh." she stammered, spitting out some words randomly. Why was this so hard?! "The stars are really nice tonight!" Stupid stupid stupid! Why did she say that? That wasn't what she was thinking.

"Sometimes I forget how many there really are," he admitted, staring up at them again. "Then I remember that time Rosalina took us on a tour of the galaxy. That was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

Daisy frowned sharply, pushing her lower lip out just a bit. "Yeah, Rosie's real swell, isn't she." Sure, Rosalina was their friend and a rather new addition to the group. She didn't visit often, usually busy with star stuff. Rosalina attempted to explain it to Daisy once but nothing really sank in. Yet even so, Daisy didn't want to talk about Rosalina right now.

Luigi paused before looking back at Daisy and her pouting lip. "Did I say something wrong?"

Daisy gasped and flailed at him. "No no no no, not at all!" she laughed nervously, digging her hands back into the sand. Why was this so hard?! "I just. I don't know what I'm trying to say. Yanno, I always think that I can always speak my mind, but some things just don't come out."

He placed his hand on hers. "We could just watch the stars together. I hear there's a meteor shower. We could make a wish on a shooting star."

"That's a great idea," she nodded nervously. He was touching her hand. He was touching it! Maybe she wouldn't need to say anything. Maybe he already knew.

Peach and Mario glanced over their shoulders slightly to look at Daisy and Luigi sitting behind them on the beach. Peach giggled lightly.

"I think they're getting closer," Mario nodded assuredly. "Finally."

"They're perfect for each other," Peach agreed before turning back to look at the sky. "Oh look, Mario! A shooting star! Let's make a wish!" She clasped her hands together, closing her eyes. Her wish was pretty simple. She always wished for the happiness of her people but this time, she added a second part to the wish. Perhaps it was a bit selfish of her, but she made a wish that Daisy and Luigi would be happy together.

But as she opened her eyes, pleased with the wish she made, screams flooded her ears instead of sounds of happiness. Mario got up first, scrambling up the beach. Peach followed quickly thereafter.

Peach knelt down, wrapping her arms around Daisy's shoulders. "What happened?"

"I-I-I don't know!" Daisy stammered. She could feel her body shaking. She had only closed her eyes for a moment, making a wish on the shooting star to have more confidence in matters of the heart. "I made a wish and opened my eyes and there was this weird shadow! That... that shadow thing! It took Luigi and disappeared! He's gone!"


	2. Give it to me!

Daisy slumped into the bench on the main street of Delfino Square. They'd used the streets of the area as a race track a few times. She still could recall racing against her friends here on their karts. That was a happier time, wasn't it? It had been nearly two days since anyone had seen Luigi. That shadow had taken him far, but why? Why take Luigi? Did they need a really good cook?

No, that couldn't be it. The shadow had mumbled one thing before it left. She hadn't told the others yet, but the words still rattled around in her mind. _The dark star will return._ She couldn't have heard it right. It was just a legend. She pulled the little goomba shoe toy from the pocket of her spring dress and turned it over in her hands.

"Are you feeling alright?" Peach joined Daisy on the bench. Unlike Daisy, Peach was dressed in her full usual attire instead of a breezy spring dress.

"No," Daisy huffed, slouching even more. She didn't care if she looked ridiculous, slumped into a bench in her lacy spring dress and large floppy sunhat. She watched the waves crash into the nearby shore while turning the toy over in her hands. "No one's seen him. I'm pissed, Peach. I was this close to admitting to him-" She cut herself off, frowning sharply. "I'm not saying you're right or anything." She jabbed a finger at her friend. Of course Peach was right. She always was. Daisy really was head over heels for that big green scaredy cat.

"Right about what?" Peach tilted her head.

"You know, about the thing." Daisy frowned, turning back to look at the waves. "Don't make me admit it aloud. I'm... dammit." Daisy pulled her sun hat down further over her face. She felt disappointed in herself. She was the strong one, always willing to speak her mind, but as soon as it came to matters of the heart, she just melted into a spineless goo. It wasn't fair. Peach could always speak from her heart, but it was expected of her. Daisy was always the tough one. That's how it was. It just wasn't fair. She felt like her heart had been suddenly ripped from her chest.

Peach sighed, leaning back into the bench as she draped an arm across the back. "Such trouble."

Daisy attempted to pull her sunhat down even further. She wanted to cry but nothing was coming out. She just felt angry.

"Oh Daisy, I brought you some... Oh my!" Peach gasped.

Daisy looked up, finally pulling the sunhat back into place. She glanced over at Peach only to realize she was looking behind them. And when Daisy turned, she leapt off the bench. Behind them stood another Peach wearing a sleeveless version of her usual dress, holding a parasol and two bowls of ice cream. "What the hell? Two Peaches?!"

Daisy looked between the two, wide-eyed, attempting to remember which dress Peach had put on that morning. Daisy had been so absorbed in locating Luigi she didn't really pay attention. But one thing tipped Daisy off about which was real and which was fake. The one sitting down wasn't sitting properly. Peach _always_ sat properly. "Who are you?!" she demanded, jabbing a finger at the one sitting on the bench.

"I was so close to getting it!" the imposter hissed, leaping from her seat. "Give me the star shard and I'll let you go back to looking for your little friend."

Daisy stared at the imposter. A star shard? But that was just a legend, right? "I'm not giving you anything!" Legend or not, she wasn't about to hand anything over to some imposter posing as her best friend.

"MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" the imposter screeched, leaping forward in an attempt to snag the toy from Daisy's hands.

Daisy covered her ears in the noise, but she wasn't about to relinquish the gift Luigi had given her. "This is mine!" she hissed. While her hands were preoccupied with drowning out the obnoxious noise, her legs worked just fine. She picked up her foot, rearing back, and squarely kicking the imposter in the chest. "I won't let you have it!"

"Give it to Mimi!" the imposter leapt forward again, barely deterred by the heel in the chest. She had to have it, but it wasn't the toy she was after. It was what was inside.

"I won't give it to youyou!" Daisy protested. She moved to kick again but caught her heel on the lace of her skirt, tumbling backwards down the hillside. She lost her shoes and sunhat in the process of falling before she finally came to a stop face down on the sand. She pushed herself up to see the imposter had followed her and stood right before her.

"Give it to me!" the imposter demanded once again, completely oblivious to Peach sneaking up behind her. The pink princess drew her parasol back and promptly swatted the back of the imposter with it. The imposter reeled forward, surprised by the attack. Peach drew the parasol back and swatted her again.

"No one touches my friend!" Peach declared, swatting the imposter once more.

"Princess! PRINCESS!" Ninjetta's voice rang out as the ninji frantically hopped down the hillside with Mario in tow.

The imposter looked up, seeing the two approach. "This isn't the last you'll see of Mimi! I will get that star shard!" she hissed, taking several steps back. Summoning a portal behind her, the imposter stepped through it and disappeared from the beach.

Daisy flopped back down face-first into the sand. They couldn't just have a normal vacation at the beach, could they? Someone always had to come and ruin it. First Luigi disappearing and now some girl posing as her best friend demanding the toy Luigi made for her. Star shards. The imposter said it twice. Daisy hadn't heard it wrong. Star shards. Dark star. It was all adding up.

"Princess!" Ninjetta flailed beside Daisy in the sand. "The one time I leave you alone you get attacked by some imposter! This is all my fault."

Daisy reached up, placing a hand on the ninji's head and simply pushing her down into the sand, muffling the ninji's cries. "I can take care of myself, Ninjetta. Stop blaming yourself for everything." Sure, she loved Ninjetta's company but at times, she just got so irritating. She knew Ninjetta meant well but sometimes she also knew the ninji just needed to slow down once in awhile.

Peach crouched down, placing a hand on Daisy's back. Her poor friend must be in so much emotional pain right now, first losing someone so close then being assaulted by an imposter. They were all hurting, feeling the pain and despair of losing someone so suddenly. Mario was taking it the worst. While he was trying to put on a strong face, Peach could see the sorrow in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"That's a loaded question, you know," Daisy replied, still with her face in the sand.

Peach sighed. She expected that answer. Daisy was like Mario in that respect. She always wanted to put on the brave face no matter how much she was going through. "I do wonder what the imposter was after." She tapped a finger thoughtfully on her cheek.

"I know." Daisy rolled over onto her back, staring up at Peach crouched down next to her and the blue sky behind her. She watched a few clouds float by above as she turned the toy over in her hands. "It's a legend from Chai back when Sarasaland was four separate kingdoms. Between that weirdo screeching about a star shard and that shadow muttering about a dark star, I know that they're talking about the legend. But that's just it. It's just a legend."

Peach tapped her cheek with her finger a few more times, gazing out at the sea. "She seemed quite convinced she had to get a star shard."

Daisy scowled at the clouds happily floating above them in the sky, mocking them with their happy smiles. "If the legend is true, and there really are star shards, we have to stop them from getting them."

Ninjetta wiggled until she sat upright, straightening the bow on her ear. "What's the legend, Princess?"

"Supposedly it happened a thousand years ago," Daisy detailed. "This dark star came from outer space to the Mushroom World. As the legend goes, the Mushroom World is the nexus for many alternate worlds. The dark star had come here to destroy this World and all connecting worlds by turning them into nothingness. The princess of the Chai Kingdom used an emerald daisy to shatter the star, breaking it apart into shards. It tells the origins of the daisy emblem Sarasaland now uses, but if it's real, and whoever this is gets all the star shards... What if they plan to summon the dark star and destroy all the connected worlds again?" Worry struck her usually confident face.

"Oh my." Peach tapped a finger on her cheek again.

"We'll just have to keep them from doing that," Mario nodded reassuringly. "And we'll find Luigi so he can join us." While his words sounded confident, there was a worry eating at the back of his mind, one deeply concerned for Luigi's well-being.

...

Somewhere with the depths of a parallel world filled with darkness, he finally opened his eyes. He first focused on the ceiling until it came into view. He couldn't remember how long he'd been out or why he'd been unconscious. Truly, he couldn't remember much of anything.

"You're finally awake."

He looked to the side to find a blue-skinned woman wearing all white with magenta hair pulled into a bun at the side. She adjusted her thick horn-rimmed glasses as she gazed down at him, clutching a clipboard to her chest. "Where...?" He sat up, but perhaps too quickly as he leaned forward, grasping at his forehead. Everything felt swimmy. His mind was a mess.

"You don't remember, do you?" the woman tapped the clipboard. "I'll pencil in an information session to remind you of your purpose, kay?"

The room stopped spinning and everything started to become clearer. Her name was Nastasia, second in command in this world. He was a new recruit with a special mission. Tossing the sheets aside, he swung his legs around and pushed his feet into a pair of black knee-high boots. "That won't be necessary." He plucked the mask from the table, tying it around his eyes before placing a green hat on his head.

"Good," Nastasia nodded. "We won't be behind schedule."

He watched her walk to the door as he pulled on his gloves. She paused at the doorway, turning to face him once more. "Come," she beckoned. "It's the scheduled time for you to make your big debut."

A smirk tugged at his features as he adjusted the black jumpsuit. It was time for action, time to fulfill a new purpose. "The worlds just aren't ready for someone like me, the great Green Thunder, Mr. L!"

 **Author's notes**

Thank you everyone for all your reviews! They keep me writing! Happy holidays and new year to all.

 **References!**

Sarasaland is four kingdoms in the original _Super Mario Land_ game (I played that thing so hard I wore the cartridge out). The four kingdoms serve as different lands, much as the theme is for most Mario games. The kingdoms are Chai, Easton, Muda, and Birabuto. Some game bios list Chai as her home kingdom.

As with the previous fanfic, I love to reference Mario Kart. The Delfino Square is featured in Mario Kart DS and Wii.


	3. The minions of Bleck

The portal opened into a dark hallway of the parallel world, and the Peach imposter stepped out, frustrated. She was so close to getting that first star shard. She'd be praised for her work, but the real Princess Peach had to show up and ruin everything. It was all Peach's fault. Yes, that was it.

Pouting, she let her disguise fall, revealing the true form underneath. She was green-skinned with bright green hair pulled into massive tornado curled pigtails. Her face was squarish and her body oddly shaped. She wore her favorite dress, a yellow one with white polka dots over black tights and a red bow in her hair. She thought it would bring her luck, but she was quickly foiled.

"What's got yeh down, lass?" He towered over her, a rather large hulking beige-skinned man. His bald head wasn't even, leaning to one side and decorated with his large eyebrows and spiky beard. He hunched over, seemingly unable to carry the bulky weight of his own body and spring-like arms.

"What do you _think_ has me down, O'chunks?!" she hissed at him. "I didn't get the star shard! And the Count won't reward me with any rubees or cute boys!" She wanted all the rubees she could get. They were so shiny and pretty and would buy her anything she wanted within this world. She wanted to build a castle and put all the cute boys into it so she could keep them there and visit whenever she wanted. But that wouldn't happen if she couldn't complete her own missions. "Stupid otherworlders getting in my way."

"Yeh know what yeh gotta do, right lass?" O'chunks grinned stupidly, giving her a thumbs up. "Yeh gotta chunk 'em an' chunk 'em good!"

The girl stared at O'chunks flatly. "What are you even talking about?"

"Chunkin'!" he replied quickly and confidently. "Give 'em a good ol' one two. Right left. Chunk 'em good an' lots o' times 'til yeh can take the shards from 'em!" He playfully made punching motions with his large hulking arms towards the wall, pretending to fight it. He was convinced no puny otherworlders could counter his expert chunking skills. No one could, after all!

The girl stared at him flatly again. He was an unparalleled idiot.

"C'mon, lass," he encouraged her. "Chunk wit' me!"

"I'm not chunking anything!" she refused sharply.

"Lass..." he paused his chunking and turned to her with a crooked frown.

"MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" she screeched at him before stomping off down the hallway. She knew he was trying to help cheer her up, but she really was disappointed in herself. These otherworlders were stronger than she'd expected. That Peach had mercilessly beat her with her parasol. How rude she was! All she wanted was the shard! Huffing, she rounded the corner and nearly bumped into Nastasia.

"Pouting is not in your schedule, k?" Nastasia frowned at the girl. "Did you get the star shard?"

She stuck her lower lip out even further. "I don't have it."

Nastasia sighed, clearly disappointed, which only made the girl wish to sink into the floor. She paused her pouting momentarily when she noticed someone standing behind Nastasia. She'd never seen him before and he didn't look like he came from this world. She stared at him. His eyes were kind of creepy, piercing through her with their crystal white color as he tilted his head curiously. He was kind of cute. Who was he? He was wearing a green hat. Maybe he was the man in green the prophecy had foretold would come.

"Yeah, we have a scheduled meeting now, Mimi," Nastasia tapped her clipboard. "Make sure O'chunks isn't late."

"Fine," she huffed, spinning on her heels and retreating back down the hallway. O'chunks wasn't hard to find. He was still playfully jabbing at the wall, chunking it apparently. "We got a meeting, Chunky! Nastasia said not to be late this time!"

She crawled onto his shoulders, hanging off them when she realized he wasn't even paying attention to her. "MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" she screeched at him in his ear.

"Yegods, lass!" O'chunks startled, nearly jumping to the ceiling and chunking the wall with his hand in surprise. "What was that fer?!"

"You weren't listening to me, Chunky!" Mimi pouted, wrapping herself over his shoulders. "There's a meeting right now and I think we have someone new! I saw him in the hallway. He's kind of creepy."

"A new 'un?" O'chunks blinked stupidly. "Yeh got me attention." With renewed interest, he spun on his heels and barreled down the hallway like a charging bull with Mimi clinging to his shoulders.

The meeting room wasn't too far. It was a large hall with a cathedral-like ceiling that seemed to go upwards forever. The walls were black like the rest of the castle with white borders and columns. The room had a solid pathway towards a tall platform where the Count himself sat. The meeting hall resembled a royal throne room more than a traditional place to meet.

The Count had already taken his seat, leaning into the throne-like chair with his cape flowing over the edges. Much of his outfit was white, a formal suit-like outfit with a long cape lined with the colors of the stars. A top hat sat upon his head and a monocle on his eye. His long cane with a gem on the top sat propped against his seat, a large book with black pages and white writing in his hand. Nastasia stood to his right, her arms wrapped around her usual clipboard.

The new guy had arrived first. O'chunks and Mimi peered around the column, watching the new guy kneeling before the Count on one knee, his head respectfully bowed before he stood back up to his full height. Nastasia noticed the two spies. They weren't hiding very well. O'chunk's body stuck out from both ends of the column and Mimi's giant hair didn't exactly blend in with the scenery. "You two are late, kay?" she frowned.

"It's O'chunky's fault!" Mimi fussed.

"Eeeh?!" O'chunks protested. "Yeh tryin' ta blame it on me?!"

"I tried to tell you five minutes ago we had a meeting!" Clinging to his shoulders, she hit him on the head with her fist. "You were too busy chunking the wall!"

"I was showin' ye how!" O'chunks continued to protest.

Mimi answered by hitting his head a few more times.

The blue-skinned Count looked up from his book. "Take your places. Bleh heh heh."

O'chunks and Mimi immediately stopped squabbling. The green girl climbed off his shoulders and the two took their places before the Count. Mimi peered around O'chunk's lofty body to snag a peek at the new guy before staring up at the Count and giving him her full attention. She hoped he would finally read the rest of the prophecy. And she'd know the full story.

"Bleck is disappointed Mimi did not retrieve the first star shard, but all is not lost." The count seemed to remain hopeful. "But let Bleck tell the rest of the prophecy."

Mimi rocked back and forth in her shoes excitedly like a child listening to story time.

"The Star Tome tells Bleck and minions the great prophecy. These star shards put together will summon the great star." The Count flourished his hand as he spoke, reading from the tome in his hands. "The great star will grant Bleck's greatest wish, but to do so, many shards must be collected. The legendary man in green will become the host for the great power." He flourished his hand again, indicating the newcomer. "But until then, all must collect star shards. Bleh heh heh, bleck!"

"A wishing star!" Mimi clasped her hands together, stars in her eyes. This was a greater power than she could've imagined. She wasn't sure of what the Count truly wished for, but she'd heard rumors. They were heartbreaking. The Count once had someone special to him, but they were separated and something happened to her. Mimi could only assume she had died and he wished to revive her.

"Yeah, this is Mr. L," Nastasia motioned to the aforementioned man in green. "We've convinced him to join the Count's endeavors as his newest minion. You all will be scheduled to collect star shards, k?"

Mr. L glanced at the two standing beside him out of the corner of his eyes. These were his seniors? Was this a joke? "I'll be the one to collect the most shards," he stated assuredly, "juniors."

"E-excuse me?!" Mimi grated her teeth at him, leaning around O'chunk's oafish body. "We're here to grant the Count's wish, not be disrespectful pompous pricks!"

"Big words for such a little girl," Mr. L scoffed, rolling his eyes before returning to the source of his devotion. His entire being was devoted to becoming the legendary vessel for the Count, and until he became that vessel for the great star, he would devote every moment to ensuring he carried out the Count's wishes. "Are we done?"

Nastasia looked down at the clipboard, skimming over the schedule. "You will all have your schedules soon, k? Go about your normal business until then. And do tell Dimentio he's scheduled for a reprimanding for being absent again, k?"

Mr. L offered a respectful bow to the count before turning to his two so-called seniors. "L-ater," he dismissed himself sharply, placing his hand on his forehead in the shape of an L, "Juniors."

Mimi boiled over. "What is his problem?!" This new person was so irritating!

...

Mr. L shut the door to his workshop, finally away from his so-called seniors. The workshop provided for him was fully furnished with a large working area for building whatever his heart desired to get the job done. He'd be the one to collect the most star shards. He'd be the one to climb to the number one position and leave those juniors behind him in the dust. He'd be the one to complete the Count's goals and become the legendary vessel as the prophecy foretold.

He surveyed the workshop for the first time since his arrival. It was decorated as much of the rest of the castle was, black with white accents, though this room was better lit than some of the locations he'd seen. The door was situated on a balcony with tools and a massive workbench to either side. At the edge of the balcony was a railing as well as several ladders leading downwards into a massive shaft. Inside the shaft was the framework for something round, panels partially placed on the frame in a mismatched patchwork. Mr. L shook his head. Whoever had started the project never finished it, yet now that it was his, he'd be the one to properly complete it. His greatest creation, the greatest robot any of the worlds had ever seen.

But first, he had to start small. He needed a means to track these star shards across the worlds and some way to retrieve them. Attacking places haphazardly could damage the shards and be counterproductive to the overall plans. He also needed a reliable means of jumping worlds. Surely the juniors had a means of travel, but he wanted something superior to theirs. The problem was, his knowledge of interworld travel was close to nothing.

He scoured the shelves for anything helpful. On the middle shelf, he found several books on interworld and interdimensional physics. Nastasia planned ahead, but who wouldn't knowing the greatest mechanical genius was now joining the ranks?

Plucking one of the books off the shelf, he skimmed the pages, reading over the physics and mathematical formulae set out on the pages before him. He could work with this. A handheld device would be best, something he could use but not get in the way if he encountered hostile resistance. He expected such though. Something as coveted as a wishing star would attract even the most unscrupulous sort, probably believing themselves the heroes. Very well, he'd simply have to make himself the villain.

Placing the book down on the workbench, Mr. L got to work. Rummaging through the drawers, he found all the tools he needed to create a handheld device capable allowing him to travel between worlds. Adding a little bit to enhance his lightning powers wouldn't hurt either. No one would be able to stop him.

He didn't pay attention to the clock, nor did he particularly care. He was preparing to become the best of the minions of Count Bleck. The device was complete. It consisted of a large round panel colored green embedded into a silver circle which connected to metallic tendrils. The two of tendrils wrapped around his fingers, one around the middle and the other around the thumb. The third connected to a wristband. The green panel was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, even when closed. He slipped the device onto his left hand, admiring his handiwork. Yes, this would do nicely.

"Mr. L. I see you've settled in quite well."

He stirred from his work, looking up at the door. Nastasia had come in holding her usual clipboard. She was impressed with his work. He'd created something in less than a day. "I have your first task for you." She pulled a formal-looking paper from her clipboard and offered it to him.

He took the offered paper, reading over it. "Dry Dry Desert, hm?"

She nodded. "You would know the Mushroom World the best. The prophecy foretells that several shards exist in the dry desert where monuments once stood. We believe the Dry Dry Desert to fit this description. Find them."

A smirk tugged at the edges of his lips. "I shall return with them shortly."

 **Author's musings**

The introduction of the minions of Bleck! They were always my favorite and what had honestly inspired this story was a handful of scenes and the idea of 'what do the minions do while not on screen?' I really wanted to give the minions rich personalities, build on what little we see from them in game.

L is a genius. We never really got to see much about his knowledge and personality in game, except for the short times you get to fight him. I made him into an arrogant douche.

Also, O'chunks is incredibly hilarious to write.

And Mimi reminds me of Louise from Bob's Burgers.

 **References**

Dry Dry Desert appears in a handful of Mario games. First is the 8th stage of _Mario &Wario_. It also appears in the first _Paper Mario_ game. But naturally? It also appears in _Mario Kart Double Dash_ and _8_. The mention of ruins is a reference to the MK8 version. Will my references to Mario Kart ever cease? No, they will not.


	4. The DualStar9500x

"Ohoho you've all come to the right place, sonny!" the professor chittered at the group.

Mario, Daisy, Peach, and Ninjetta trekked back to the main island from Delfino shortly after Daisy was attacked by the mysterious imposter demanding star shards. Daisy had told the legend in more detail on the boat ride over, but she didn't know of any means to track something she wasn't even sure existed. Their only clue to these so-called star shards was the toy Luigi had given her. She wasn't about to surrender it, though.

Mario recalled an old friend of his and Luigi's, a rather odd professor who studied ghosts and invented many odd and useful things. They'd encountered him a few times, but he was a closer friend to Luigi than Mario. As zany as Professor Elvin Gadd was, he knew how to find anything that seemed supernatural or otherworldly. If anyone could help locate star shards, it was this odd man.

The professor sat on an office chair hiked up so he matched the height of his companions. His office was in the basement of a large mansion and tended to by various ghosts. Computer screens and equipment littered the area, most were on monitoring the area for unusual supernatural activity as he studied the ghosts in the area. A ghost dog approached, sniffing Daisy several times before plopping down and panting at her, sticking his nose under her hand.

"He probably thinks you smell like Luigi, deary!" the professor mused as he spun around in his chair to type a few things on the keyboard. He had taken the toy Luigi made from Daisy after swearing and promising to return it in one piece. He had to scan and analyze it for any signs of an unusual material.

Daisy looked down at the dog attempting to get her attention. Luigi didn't seem like the type to stick around ghosts nor keep a ghost dog, but she had seen a rather unusual picture of Luigi with the professor and many ghosts similar to most of the ones floating about here. She gave into his cute face, crouching down and rubbing his face with both her hands. "You miss Luigi, don't you?" Truthfully she did too. All of them did.

The dog slobbered and waggled his tail happily.

"Ohoho!" the professor clasped his hands together gleefully as he brought an image of the toy's inner workings up on the main large screen. "Lookie here! Luigi used a rather odd material to make this toy of yours." The screen showed an outline of the toy in the shape of the goomba shoe. Tiny gears interlocked within, joining the wheels to the winder. But above the winder, situated within the top of the shoe and within the goomba's head sat something which looked like a 4-pointed star with elongated arms.

"No way!" Daisy gaped. "There really is a star inside that!" Luigi really did make the toy with something special inside. Now more than ever did she want to protect the gift, not only because Luigi made it so special but also that it held something which could control the fate of this world and all connected to it. "Can you make something to track that star thing without taking apart my toy?"

"Of course, deary!" the professor nodded matter-of-factly. He plucked the toy from its resting spot and handed it back to her. "I have all the information I need! I should have something for you shortly. Go outside and play with the dog for a bit!" Truly they could've waited inside, but even the professor, as zany as he was, could feel the gravity of the situation. They needed something to distract their minds as he worked. The professor leapt from his chair, handing Mario a bone toy before pushing the entire group out the door.

Outside the house, Mario squeezed the bone toy. It squeaked and attracted the attention of the ghost dog. It barked and slobbered, waiting in anticipation for Mario to throw it.

"What a cute dog," Peach mused, plucking the bone from Mario's hand. Winding up, she tossed the bone underhanded down the yard. The dog wildly chased after it, running through the bushes and trees in its way. It seemed so carefree, just as they all had been when they first visited Delfino Beach. But now, it seemed like a huge weight had just been hoisted on all their shoulders. First Luigi was kidnapped, then a legend from the Chai Kingdom had suddenly sprung to life. What would they do if they collected all the shards themselves? Surely putting them all together would bring about a catastrophe, but perhaps there was a way to crush the shards and prevent the worlds from becoming nothingness. There had to be something they could do. After all, there surely were other forces going after the shards, and it would soon devolve into an all-out war.

Peach glanced over at Daisy who had slumped into one of the rocking chairs on the porch. She dug her heel into the porch wood, rocking back and forth as she turned the toy over in her hands. Daisy still couldn't believe Luigi had made the toy with a legendary star shard inside. She idly wondered if he knew what it was or thought it looked cool. Maybe he used it as some sort of power source, or it was just the source of that odd noise it made when she wound the toy's winder. And the even bigger question was, where did he get it?

"Do you want me to hold onto that, princess?" Ninjetta offered, holding out her satchel. The ninji never let go of the satchel. It always sat on her shoulder, and she probably slept with her arm around it.

If anyone could hold anything safe, it was Ninjetta, but Daisy was stubborn. She didn't want to put the ninji in harm's way if that weird imposter ever came back. "Nuh uh. I'll hold onto it." She shoved it in one of the orange panniers on her skirt. It would be safe there and close to her at all times.

Daisy looked up to watch the ghost dog attempt to pull the bone through a tree. While the dog was a ghost, the bone was not and put up quite the resistance against the tree. Such a carefree creature despite the resistance, not too unlike herself. She couldn't keep moping all the time, despite the gravity of the situation. The others were picking up on it, and she couldn't have them miserable too.

"I've got something, sonnies!" the professor announced, striding out the front door with a small device. It was small, rectangular, and flipped open to show two screens of information. "I call it my DualStar9500x, or DS for short." He displayed the item proudly.

Daisy leapt from her seat with renewed ambition, nearly knocking Ninjetta over as she snatched the device for herself. "So how does this thinger work?"

The professor clapped his hands together, pleased by her excitement. "I've uploaded maps of most of the regions of the area. The device will detect a star shard and mark its approximate location on the map. There's even one nearby."

Daisy lit up as she stared at the device. Sure enough, there was one on the map, lighting up like a little star.

"It's just beyond that hill," the professor pointed down the yard and up a nearby hill towards a large structure looming in the distance. "The old mines. It's a short walk from here."

"Thank you so much, professor," Peach curtsied gracefully. "This will greatly help us!"

"Now go along, sonnies!" the professor pushed them off the porch. "You have a lot to do and a world to save! And do come back and visit some time!"

Ninjetta scampered off the porch, following the other three after giving a polite bow as well to thank the professor for all his hard work. The ninji hopped excitedly after her liege, trying to see what the DS map was offering. The dog gave up its fight with the bone and bounded after the group. He slobbered at them, barked a few times, but ultimately returned to the house when the professor whistled for him. The dog obediently sat next to the professor, watching the group trek down the hillside and up the next.

"They have a hard journey ahead of them, don't they, sonny?" The professor patted the dog on the head. It wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last, that the world was threatening to end. This time seemed a bit graver than others. There didn't seem to be a means to return from nothingness. He didn't know the legend but he was interested in what the data he took on the star shard might tell him. If he found something, he could always contact them via the DS.

The four intrepid heroes trudged up the hill towards the mines. It wasn't the most inviting of places, clearly abandoned years ago. The building was run down, the mine tracks were mostly broken, and much of the equipment had turned on its side. A bitter wind blew through the area, rustling the nearly naked trees. Truly an unsettling place, leaving Mario to ponder how his brother managed to investigate the area, particularly this place. He still recalled the intrepid manor where Luigi had rescued him. This place seemed even more unsettling than the manor.

Ninjetta clung to the back of Daisy's skirt as they reached the top of the hill. This place was pretty scary, and the ninji hoped her liege could find the star shard soon.

"Calm down, Ninjetta," Daisy nudged the ninji with her foot as she opened the DS to observe the area. "Looks like the star shard should be right here."

"Oh! There it is!" Peach pointed at a shining object just down the pathway from them. It shone as much as a shard of a star was expected to do, brightly standing out against the grim scenery and overcast sky. Lifting the edges of her skirt, Peach stepped over some of the overturned machinery and bent over, plucking the item from the ground. She held it between her thumb and forefinger, watching it glisten and shine.

"See?" Daisy nudged the ninji. "Not so bad, huh." She offered the ninji a confident grin which was quickly erased as the ground began to shake violently.

"A-an earthquake?!" Ninjetta stammered. So much for that reassuring confidence.

"Getcher grubby hands off me star shard!"

Peach backed away from her spot, back towards where the other three were, gripping the star shard in her hands. Was that weird imposter back? What would she appear as? Or was this someone new? Just how many people were after the star shards?

A large, strange-looking man sprang up the hill, landing with a thud before the group. "I'm gonna chunk yeh 'til yeh give me that star shard!"

Daisy pulled a disgusted face. "What the hell? You're disgusting!"

The odd man scratched his misshapen squarish head with a finger. "I ain't disgustin', lass, I'm O'chunks!"

Daisy and Peach exchanged confused and slightly disturbed looks before staring back at the stranger. "O... chunks?" Peach stared.

"Sounds pretty gross to me, don't you think?" Daisy commented with a nod.

Peach nodded in agreement. "How peculiar."

"Enough o' yeh yammerin'!" O'chunks shouted, stomping his large foot against the ground, causing it to shake. The carts on the grounds rattled and the remains of the mining complex swayed side to side, clinging to the ground desperately with the wooden beams still somewhat attached to the foundation. "Gimme that star shard 'fore I chunk yeh into the ground!"

"We're not giving you anything," Mario declared as he stepped between the princesses and the brute. They couldn't give up any of the star shards they found. They still knew so little about this dark star and exactly how many shards it took to summon it. Could it be summoned in a weakened state with a few shards or did it require all of them? Mario wasn't one to take any risks in this situation. He didn't want these strange people to get any of them.

This weird O'chunks character was after the star shard Peach had just picked up. Was it possible he wasn't aware of the one in the toy Daisy held? Regardless, Mario wasn't about to surrender either of them.

As he bent his knees, preparing to spring into action, Mario was silently reminded he didn't have his brother here to help him out. He'd almost forgotten how much he relied on him to help spring him higher or use him in a double team attack. No, he was alone again. They had to find Luigi soon. Mario was dreadfully worried about his wellbeing.

The clouds in the sky grew darker and thunder rumbled in the distance, threatening a storm. The location on the top of a hill during a thunderstorm wasn't exactly the safest place to be, especially not with all this metal about.

Mario sprang to action quickly, jumping into the air far enough to push O'chunks backwards with his feet before using him as a wall to jump back into place. The clumsy oaf tumbled backwards and down the hill, rolling and cursing at the group, swearing that they got away easy this time. Mario shrugged, and turned. "Let's go!"

"No harm in a hasty retreat!" Daisy nodded, spinning on her heels and already halfway down the hillside before the others could even start. She caught her heel on a rock, becoming entangled with Ninjetta, and the two tumbled down into the valley.

"Are you alright, Daisy? Ninjetta?" Peach skidded to a halt next to them, crouching down to pluck Daisy's crown from the dirt.

"Yeah, yeah, just fine," Daisy brushed off the fall by waving her hand dismissively. She pushed Ninjetta to her feet before getting to her own then patting down her skirt. Dusting off the DS, she flipped it open, letting it do its magic to find the next star shard. They had to find the star shards. They were somehow connected to Luigi's disappearance and these weirdos that kept attacking. And if they strayed too long, that weird O'chunks character might try to chase after them. "Looks like the next star shard is just outside Mushroom City inside The Forever Forest."

"I-isn't that where Boo's mansion is?" Ninjetta clung to Daisy's skirt nervously. She didn't like boos. She could put on a brave face for most things, but boos were just too scary.

"Don't worry, Ninjetta," Peach offered some comforting words as she adjusted Daisy's crown on her head. "We'll just go in, follow the path, and leave. We don't need to visit the mansion, right Mario?"

Mario confirmed with a reassuring nod. "We'll all be safe together." He glanced back at the hillside. There was still no sign of O'chunks, but that pounce wasn't enough to permanently take him out of action. He'd be back for that star shard soon enough. The professor would be safe enough as long as the group distanced themselves from the professor's house. Mario would simply have to lure O'chunks away, given that the brutish man decided to give chase. "We should get to the city before the storm comes."

Handing off the DS to Peach, Daisy picked up the nervous ninji and the four headed towards Mushroom City, the largest, busiest city in the kingdom.

The rain started sprinkling at first, then it started coming down in sheets. O'chunks finally climbed back to the top of the hill. His head was spinning from that fall after he'd collided with a building down below. He had to get that star shard for the Count's wish to come true. These otherworlders weren't going to stand in his way.

O'chunks sprang to life, prepared to fight only to realize no one was there. "Bollocks." They'd run off. Those cowards. They could only run so far, but for now, O'chunks had to return home with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

… **.**

 **Author's notes**

And so, the intrepid heroes are on their way, thanks to Professor . I can't resist including the professor in my stories. He's zany and wild and names things in really hilarious ways. In both Luigi's Mansion games, he names the communication devices after the handheld the game is on. Since the last one was on the DS, he names the device a DS in this story too.

 **References** :

This chapter takes place in the _Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon_ setting, Evershade Valley. The professor's mansion serves as your home base during the game.

The mines they visit are based off the Secret Mines situated at the top of a hill. While it is snowing in game, this story takes place in the summer so it's gotta be warmer now. While the original Secret Mine had a ski chalet front, I've simply gone with mines for the effects.

The Forever Forest mentioned at the end is from the original _Paper Mario_ game though other games have had similar forests starting in SMW.

Mushroom City is, of course, a Mario Kart reference. It's a massive city that appears in _Double Dash_ , but can be seen in the backgrounds of about half a dozen other courses. I tend to use it as a massive city and commercial hub, a good spot for the characters to gather and pass through.


	5. The kitchen fiasco

"O'chunky! You're all muddy! Get out of the kitchen!" Mimi screeched at him, waving her arms wildly. "You're getting it everywhere!" She picked at the mud he'd gotten on her red dress. He was such a messy oaf.

"What'm I gonna do?" he lamented, flopping down in one of the kitchen table chairs. "Those otherworlders got a star shard!"

"You're gonna stop whining and do your job."

O'chunks looked up, frowning at Mr. L who had situated himself by leaning against the kitchen doorway. Like much of the castle, the kitchen decor was white on black. Even the cabinets, refrigerator, table, and chairs matched. The mud O'chunks had tracked in starkly contrasted the scenery.

Mimi peered around O'chunks to glare at Mr. L. "What do _you_ want?"

"Only to confirm how _junior_ you two are compared to me," he gloated, folding his arms smugly.

Mimi rounded O'chunks and the table, stomping towards the doorway angrily, prepared to give him a verbal lashing. She was tired of his attitude and he'd only been here a short while. She didn't want anything to do with him, nor did she want him to be here in the first place. He had no place among the minions of Count Bleck, no matter how legendary or whatever he was. He had some purpose, and that wasn't to get in her hair. "Let's get one thing straight, L! You're the new one here! _We're_ your seniors!"

"You might want to reconsider that statement." Mr. L unfolded his right hand, jabbing it towards Mimi then opening it to reveal what he'd been holding in his hand.

Mimi paused, gaping. "T-three star shards?! But how?!" She'd never seen one up close before. She only knew that the toy that Daisy held onto was somehow linked to one, but now that she'd seen real shards, she wasn't sure how the toy and the shards were one and the same.

He curled his hand back up, tucking it beneath the opposing arm. "I have no reason to tell you my techniques." They were all juniors in his eyes, incompetent minions who simply had to be put in their place. The Count certainly deserved at least one capable minion, and it surely wouldn't be these two or the one who seemed to be eternally absent. No wonder nothing got done around here.

Mimi clenched her hands, balling them up into fists as she raised her shoulders in anger to screech at him. "You don't get it, do you?! We're all in this together! For the Count, not ourselves! We're like family!"

"I have no interest in family," Mr. L scoffed, pushing off from the doorway. "Only duty." He placed his hand on his forehead, extending his forefinger and thumb into an L-shape. "L-ater, losers."

Mimi screeched down the hallway after him as he left for the meeting hall. "I hate you and your stupid catch phrases!"

He didn't care what they thought. It wasn't important. He only wanted the Count's approval. Until he was to become the host to the great star, his purpose was to serve the Count, to further the summoning of the star.

And as Mr. L returned from meeting with the Count, he found he needed just one more thing. He was still subject to the human desire for food, and unfortunately despite the time he'd taken to report to the Count, the two buffoons were still in the kitchen, squabbling and screeching at one another.

"You broke the stove!" Mimi screeched, jabbing a finger angrily at O'chunks. She was already in a bad mood after the oaf scattered mud about the place and Mr. L had insulted her straight to her green face. The stove breaking was simply the last straw. "That's our only stove! How am I supposed to cook pasta now?!"

"Why's it gotta be pasta 'gain?" O'chunks complained, attempting to shift the subject.

"Because that's all I know how to make and I'm on dinner duty and you're going to eat what I make!" Mimi shouted in reply. "If you knew how to be delicate with things, maybe you could cook too!" She was growing increasingly frustrated with him and simply resorted to her usual response when angry. "MimimimimiMIMIMIMIMIMI!"

"Quiet, Junior."

Mimi paused her screeching to stare up at Mr. L who had at some point stepped between her and O'chunks. He stared down at her with his eerie white crystalline eyes. She found them creepy, the way he looked at her. It was if he'd lost part of himself somehow and became something else. But there was no way that would happen. The Count wouldn't stand for something like that. "What do _you_ want?" she hissed.

"You want to eat, don't you?" Mr. L countered.

"Of course!" Mimi fussed. "We're hungry!"

"Then step aside, Junior." He nudged her to the side as he stepped forward, pulling off his gloves and the handheld device he'd made and tucking them into his belt. They truly were helpless by themselves, and if it hadn't been for his own need for food, he would've simply let them screech at one another 'til next week. The idea of pasta for dinner was tantalizing. Taking to one knee, he pulled off the panel of the stove. Aside from everything being particularly black in color, the inner workings were familiar to him, and it took him very little time to undo the damage O'chunks had done to the thing.

Placing the panel back and standing up, he turned the stove on with a victorious, arrogant grin, which quickly fell when he saw the contents of the pot on the stove. "What is this?"

"That's pasta," Mimi huffed.

"This isn't pasta," Mr. L countered, "this is mush. I'm not eating this."

"Told yeh it ain't edible, Mimi-kins," O'chunks pointed out, glad he wasn't the only one who noticed this.

"Shut up, O'chunky!" Mimi shouted. "You're not helping! And neither are you Mr. L-oser! I'd like to see you do better!"

"Clever," he scoffed at the nickname. It was one of the more clever things he'd heard come out of her mouth, but witty names didn't help find star shards or make dinner. "If I weren't hungry, I'd let you two starve. Now step aside." Picking up the pot, he attempted to shake the contents out in the sink, only to be disappointed they were quite stuck. He smacked the bottom of the pot and the mush slid out like some gelatinous pasta cylinder which wobbled as it landed in the sink.

Mimi slumped into one of the chairs. "I hope you fail." But as she leaned on the table, watching him gather and prepare ingredients, she wanted him to make something tasty. Pasta mush was all she really knew and all she could actually make. Dimentio's food was even worse and O'chunks usually made mashed potatoes, mashed with his fists. Mr. L wasn't exactly wrong. They were a horribly dysfunctional family. The Count and Nastasia had a personal chef, but the rest of them were left to cook for themselves. Poorly. Mimi wanted to find a cute boy she could force to do her cooking but had yet to be successful in finding one she could enslave.

She nodded off for a moment only to be woken by something that she'd never smelled before, and it smelled good. Mr. L dropped a plate of food in front of her as he loomed over her before dropping one in front of the muddy O'chunks. He jabbed the oafish man in the ribs with his foot to wake him up.

She stared at it. She'd never seen anything like it. "What's this?"

"Pasta," Mr. L replied sharply. No wonder these losers were eternally juniors. They never ate well. "Spaghetti with meatballs, meat sauce, roasted mushrooms, and garlic. Eat it or starve. I don't care which."

Mimi frowned sharply. Why was this man so frustrating? What was his problem? "Sit and eat with us!"

"Why should I?" he glanced over at the table before returning to serve himself a plate.

"It would be terribly rude not to, like the sound of a crying baby in a quiet room~"

Mr. L nearly dropped the pot on his foot when he noticed an odd man now hovering over his shoulder. The stranger was tall with a clown-like outfit of strips of fabric in purple and yellow. The strips covered most of his body save his black gloved hands and black puffed pants and shoes. His face was mostly covered with a mask, one half black, the other white, eternally frozen in a mocking smile. Mr. L frowned sharply. "You must be Mr. Absentee."

"The master of dimensions, Dimentio," the clown-like man countered, introducing himself with a melodramatic bow. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you~"

"Whatever," Mr. L scoffed. "Serve yourself and get out of my face." Grabbing utensils from the drawer, he turned to leave the kitchen.

"But Mr. L!" Dimentio protested. "I have information that will make you return like a moth to a flame~!"

"Don't care," Mr. L stated sharply as he passed the table.

Mimi watched the two fuss, happily vacuuming up the offered food. This spaghetti stuff was unbelievable. She'd never tasted it before. She'd simply have to get Mr. L to cook for them all the time. She wanted more of this delicious food. The only thing that would make it better was cute boys and rubees.

Dimentio smirked as he leaned against the counter. "Mario has joined the fight."

Mr. L stopped in his tracks immediately. "What did you say?"

"Come, sit~!" Dimentio invited as he strode over to the table, taking his own seat next to Mimi and across from O'chunks. "Let us talk like civilized folk."

"Is that the red guy?!" Mimi asked between bites of food. She was nearly done with her serving. "Who is he? And who are his violent friends that beat me up with their parasol?"

"The jumpin' lad's got a name?" O'chunks commented stupidly. He received a kick under the table courtesy of Mimi for it.

Dropping his plate unceremoniously on the table, Mr. L picked up the chair next to O'chunks and placed it at the side of the table before sitting in it. He didn't want to sit next to that muddy oaf who smelled like stagnant water at the dinner table. "Talk."

"He and his little friends have decided to counter the Count's noble efforts," Dimentio continued with a flourish of his hand. "From what I hear, they want the wish to themselves like the selfish creatures they are."

"That's not very nice!" Mimi shouted, springing from her chair and nearly flipping her plate in the process. "Why would they want to do that?!" She turned to Mr. L who seemed to be knowledgeable on the subject. But she changed her question when she noticed he was gripping the fork so hard that it actually bent. "Who are they, Mr. L? Who is this Mario?"

"Mr. HerooftheMushroomWorld," Mr. L seethed, "is my rival." No wonder these juniors had so much trouble retrieving star shards. Mario was a destructive force, one that not everyone could handle. Even that koopa king had trouble with him, and he had a formidable force. These otherworld amateurs didn't stand a chance against him. No, Mr. L would simply have to take care of Mario himself. Then, and only then, could he become number one in both the Count and the World's eyes. He would be second to none. "Leave him to me."

"Not fair!" Mimi screeched. "I wanna fight them too! I need to pay them back for beating me with that parasol and ruining my plans!"

"An' I gotta get 'im back fer flattenin' me head!" O'chunks chimed in.

Mimi frowned at him across the table. "Your head's already flat, you oaf!"

"Now, now," Dimentio attempted to mediate. "Perhaps we should propose a marvellous competition? Whoever can get the most star shards, wins! And bonus points for taking them from Mario and his friends."

Mimi lit up at the suggestion. "Good idea, Dimmy! I'll surely win it!"

"Don' get ahead o' yerself, lass," O'chunks chided.

"Don't _lass_ me, O'chunky!" she screeched at him. "I'll steal your dinner if you don't shut up."

"No way!" O'chunks protested, grabbing his plate and wrapping his large springy arms around it. "It's me food! Get yer own!"

"It's Mimi's now!" she screeched in return. "MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!"

Sighing and fed up with their childish antics, Mr. L stood up sharply, grabbed the pot from the counter, and dropped it on the table. "There's plenty more. You all better eat up and prepare yourselves for this contest or I will leave you in the dust behind me. L-ater."

Mimi paused her screeching to stare at the pot. He'd made so much food, and she wanted it all. Yet it wasn't the food which caught her attention. It was Mr. L. He didn't leave calling them losers or juniors. Perhaps he was starting to warm up to them? Nothing like a family bonding over dinner. But certainly she wouldn't let him win the contest either way. "Don't think you can win so easily!"

 _Perhaps Mimi actually has promise to be a decent minion_ , Mr. L mused as he picked his half-eaten plate off the table. After filling the plate back up, he flashed her a smug smirk before leaving the kitchen. This contest could prove to be quite interesting. He could finally face off against Mario and have some fun while doing it.

He pushed open the door to his workshop, dropping dinner off on the workbench. He'd been working nonstop for the better part of a week on this creation. Inside the deep bay, the frame had been put to good use, serving as the foundation for a large robotic head. It resembled Mr. L's face but the hat had been turned into a control room. Two arms stuck out the sides where the ears would be. The hands were incomplete but would soon become integral in the robot's combat system.

"Soon," Mr. L looked up to his creation. "Soon we will defeat Mr. Hero, my dear metal _brother_."

… **..**

 **Author's musings**

The idea of the minions eating dinner and O'chunks is one of two scenes which inspired this story.

Not to mention the minions are terribly enjoyable to write. They are so dysfunctional.


	6. The mysterious thief

_Mysterious thief in green and black spotted in Dry Dry Ruins_

Daisy stared at the large print on the headline of the newspaper. The group of intrepid heroes trekked from the valley into Mushroom City, the hub of all business in the Mushroom Kingdom. It was a bit of a trek as they trudged through the mud, following a signal for another star shard. There were people after these shards, none seemed too intelligent just yet but they could easily pose a threat. The guy from the hillside didn't even look like he'd come from the Mushroom World. Maybe now that the hunt for the star shards was on, people were able to traverse between connected worlds. Maybe someone broke a barrier between or something.

It was still raining as she stood in the newsstand with Ninjetta. They'd all taken time to clean up. Mario and Peach had parted temporarily in search of some food before they set off to find a new star shard in the woods. Daisy picked up the paper, skimming over the article.

"Daisy! Ninjetta!" Peach waved at her friends as she and Mario approached. Peach had her parasol open, gripping a warm bag of food. "We got dumplings!"

"Aw yeah, dumplings!" Daisy cheered. She closed the newspaper up and for a moment, moved to put it back but changed her mind. She dug a coin out and put it on the table before taking the newspaper with her. There was something about the photo in the article that seemed familiar.

The group took a seat in the gazebo in the nearby park, sheltered from the rain. While the rain had let up to a light shower, it was still unpleasant to eat in. As soon as Daisy got her dumpling, she began shoving it in her face. She hadn't realized how hungry she was from the entire ordeal. She couldn't remember when she actually last ate. Was it at the pier? Surely had to be after that, as they left the pier a week ago. But her mind wasn't focused on when she last ate. It was instead homing in on that article.

"Hey, look at this," Daisy pointed out, unrolling the newspaper she'd shoved under her arm. She handed it to Peach.

"A phantom thief?" Peach tilted her head, staring at the article's headline. There was just something about that picture of the phantom thief that had her curious. The picture wasn't too clear, mostly featuring a distant outline of a man in black with a green hat and a green scarf around his neck with his back mostly turned away. He was holding something, but the photo wasn't clear enough to tell what.

"Yeah," Daisy nodded, pointing at the article's body with her free hand, the other occupied with dumplings. "It says the phantom thief just kinda showed up outta nowhere in the middle of the small town that's been researching the ruins and then takes something shiny then leaves the way he came. One of the researchers managed to get that picture. It happened last night, apparently."

Peach stared at the article some more, delicately nibbling on her dumpling. Mario leaned in to get a look as well. "Could he be another party looking for the star shards?" Peach mused aloud.

"It's possible," Mario agreed. "But something else strikes me as strange." He tapped the photo of the thief. "There's something familiar about him, like I've met him before."

"That is strange," Peach nodded. "Perhaps you've met him in another lifetime."

"Or we're just grasping for something familiar at this point," Daisy remarked before shoving another dumpling into her mouth. "We got these weirdos after us. I'm not even sure they're _from_ this world. That last guy had arms like springs and a box head! Who knows what else we'll encounter. Maybe someone's just broken the barrier between worlds or some nonsense." She really wished she had Rosalina here to explain all this stuff. She was good at that.

"You're probably right," Mario hummed. It was probably the hat. In that picture, it looked like Luigi's hat, but Luigi wasn't a thief. He couldn't simply pop in and out of existence, stealing sparkly things either. He was too good of a person to do that. Mario just missed him. In a way, he felt an empty hole in his heart, one that his younger brother could only fill. They'd been together practically every moment, separating only for an adventure or two. But even when Mario returned, he knew that Luigi would always be there to greet him and listen to his wild adventures.

But even if they did manage to collect all the star shards, Luigi was still missing and there was no clue at all where he was or who had taken him or why. Surely it was connected to this star shard business, but he simply didn't know how.

When he and Peach had gone to get food, Mario asked around for anyone who's seen someone even remotely resembling Luigi but to no avail. No one had seen him and some didn't even know who he was. Had Luigi truly fallen into Mario's own shadow, forgotten by most except for those around him? Sure, Luigi often followed Mario into his grand adventures, often not by choice, but Luigi was just as heroic when the situation called for it. Luigi was absolutely a strong hero of the Mushroom World. He simply didn't see it as Mario did.

Mario stirred from his thoughts as the DS began shouting at them. Mario pulled it from his pocket, opening it up to look at the map. "A new star shard just showed up nearby, and it's... moving?"

Peach and Daisy leaned in to get a look at the map. Sure enough, the signal was moving. "It's on the Mushroom Turnpike," Peach pointed out. "It must be stuck on some vehicle."

"Well let's rent some bikes and snag it before any of those other weirdos get it!" Daisy shot to her feet with renewed ambition. "There's a bike shop around here, yeah?"

"There's one right around the corner," Mario pointed out.

At the bike shop, Peach watched the signal move on the DS. It wasn't moving too quickly, which left them plenty of time to catch up. She wasn't certain she should go, however. She wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion. Mario could certainly catch it if he left now, but he returned with three bikes, expecting both princesses to join him.

"Don't look so nervous!" Daisy patted Peach on the back. "It's not like you're gonna moon the whole of Moonview Highway!" She laughed loudly at her own pun. She thought it was funny, and she certainly didn't want to be depressed all the time. Of course she was worried about everything, but she didn't want or need it to show.

"Look look." Daisy stepped back a few feet. She then leaned over, pushing the front of her dress to the back, then grabbing it and pulling it up, tying the ends around her waist. "See? Bloomers!"

Peach laughed, clapping her hands together. Not only was it silly, but it was brilliant. "And Daisy saves the day!"

"Alright!" Daisy exclaimed, pumping her fist excitedly. "Let's get this show on the road. We got a star to catch!"

After Peach tucked her skirt up into bloomers, the group mounted their bikes. Ninjetta clung to Daisy's waist, sitting on the back of Daisy's bike seat. The signal had left the Turnpike, turning onto Moonview Highway in the direction leading out of the city. It was definitely attached to a truck or a bus, so they had to find it and catch it before one of the other parties did. There were possibly three other people after these shards, the screeching imposter, the guy with spring arms, and possibly the mysterious thief. They all seemed to have some means of tracking the star shards, just as Mario and company did, though their means seemed slightly slower. That gave them some leeway, though surely not much, as it truly was a race to get to the shard first.

But that mysterious thief. He was a huge potential hindrance. They didn't know much about him, where he was from, or his motives. He could possibly be working with the other two or he could be a completely free agent. But they did know, if the reports were anything to go by, that the thief was capable of a different form of travel. If he locked on to the star shard before they could reach it with their bikes, he'd win the race hands down. They were all competitive. They wouldn't lose to this mysterious thief. They couldn't.

Traffic began building up around the toll plaza. Mario and Peach veered off to the right towards the express lane. Daisy followed suit. She wasn't as familiar with the Highway as the other two, though it had been closed down once for one of their Karting events. As they stopped at the toll booth, Mario flipped open the DS to check on the location of the star shard. "We have a problem."

"Oh my!" Peach exclaimed. "It hasn't disappeared, has it?"

Mario shook his head. "It was on the bridge up ahead, but now it's floating down the side of the hill. There must be a river there."

"Don't mean to eavesdrop," the toad leaned out of the toll booth, "but there is a river underneath that bridge. You can reach it via the Double Cherry Pass exit. Real nice campground down that way. Beautiful waterfall down a ways too."

"Thanks, friend," Mario nodded, tucking the DS back into his pocket before digging for some coins for the toll. "We should head that way." If that star shard hit the waterfall before they could get it, it could mean trouble for all of them. Fortunately the bikes they rented were capable of scaling walls when in anti-gravity mode. He simply hoped it wouldn't come to that and they could retrieve it before then.

The attendant waved them all ahead with a bright smile. "Nah, don't worry about it. I can't charge the princess and her friends a toll." The attendant reasoned they were also after something more than just a simple bike ride. They were tracking something, and it seemed important. He had no intention of interfering with the hero of the Kingdom and the princesses.

"Your kindness is appreciated," Peach smiled brightly in return. The generosity of her people was so refreshing, a good reminder of the world they were fighting to save. Surely there would be some resistance ahead, someone else after this shard, but she knew they had to be victorious.

As the group continued down the highway, they crossed the large suspension bridge over the river where the star shard must've fallen. Mario could only reason that the shard had somehow gotten caught in a truck and knocked loose when traveling, the shard falling through the ridges in the bridge.

That did leave him to ponder how the star shards came to be. Daisy mentioned the ancient legend of the Chai Kingdom, that shattering the Dark Star caused the shards to be scattered throughout the world, and yet the shards simply manifested on the screen randomly. It was possible that the detection system wasn't entirely accurate, only picking up shards when they were within a range or simply emitted enough energy to be found. Or perhaps had the shards been innate, ordinary objects and the sudden rush to find them had reactivated them? It could explain why Luigi decided to use a shard within the toy he'd created for Daisy. That would also explain why no one had really gone to collect something that shone so brightly.

Mario stirred from his thoughts as someone on a black mach bike zoomed past them, exiting on Double Cherry Pass in front of them.

"Share the road, you jerk!" Daisy shouted at him, brandishing her fist. The rudeness of some people. This wasn't a kart race. There was no reason for such aggressive behavior. She huffed, trying to not let it get under her skin as the group exited onto the Pass.

The Pass lead away from the city, winding through the hillside and leading into a small forested area. It was peaceful and quiet, save the sounds of the motorbikes as they drove down the road. Trees leaned over the road, creating a decorative archway and partially blocking out the sky. Small paths branched off on either side. They passed signs that marked a few campgrounds and a lookout point further down one of the paths.

"This looks like a nice vacation spot, doesn't it, Princess?" Ninjetta commented.

"Mhm," Daisy hummed. "We should come here one year." She looked down the road to see a sign pointing to the left. "A riverside road! That should be what we want!"

The road veered off the main path and through the forest, exiting directly next to the wide yet shallow river. They could easily see to the bottom as they came to a halt next to it. It couldn't be more than one to two feet deep in the center, littered with pebbles and rocks at the bottom, a few sticking up out the top. Further upstream was a large bridge where Double Cherry Pass crossed the river. Downstream was a smaller bridge, much closer to the ground and made of stone.

Mario pulled the DS from his pocket once again, checking the location of the star shard. "It must be around here somewhere. It stopped moving, probably caught on a rock."

Kicking the kickstand out, Daisy dismounted the bike. Kicking her heels off, she crossed her arms, grabbing at the shoulders of her dress, ready to pull it off.

"D-daisy!" Peach gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Well I'm not wading in my dress! I just cleaned all the mud off it!" Daisy protested. "Besides, I'm wearing underwear!" She'd rather go in herself than have Peach get all dirty. Daisy felt somewhat responsible for this endeavor anyway. The legend stemmed from one of the kingdoms that made up Sarasaland, and since the legend was actually true, she probably was the hero princess's successor. So she took the weight of the legend on her shoulders, prepared to deal with the problem herself. But she also knew that the other three traveling companions wouldn't let her take the task on alone.

"Two heads are better than one," Peach declared, kicking her shoes off. She made no move to undress but instead hiked up her bloomer-skirt even farther. "We'll find that star shard in no time."

"Count me in too," Mario offered, kicking the kickstand on his bike and approaching the river with the princesses.

Ninjetta frowned. She didn't know how to swim but she wasn't about to be left out. "Don't leave-" she cut herself off as she stared down river. "Do you see that?" she pointed with her small hand.

"See what?" Daisy squinted against misty weather, straining to see whatever Ninjetta had seen.

"Someone else is here!" the ninji continued. "It looks like a motorcycle. Is that the guy who cut us off earlier?"

Daisy huffed. "I should give him a piece of my mind about courtesy on the road!"

Peach grabbed the back of Daisy's collar, preventing her from rampaging down the riverside towards whoever else was here. "What if it's a new enemy searching for the shard as well?"

"Even more of a reason to kick his butt!" It made sense in Daisy's head. These other forces didn't really seem like a threat, first the imposter then the big guy. Neither seemed too strong and both retreated pretty quickly. All she'd have to do is throw her shoe at the guy and he'd leave. It was that simple, right? And then they'd have yet another star shard and one step closer to preventing the Dark Star from being reborn. "Or it could just be some sod collecting pebbles. Now leggo. I'm gonna go talk to him."

"We'll go together," Peach offered as she released Daisy's collar. Slipping her feet back into her shoes, she readied herself to be diplomatic in Daisy's wake. Her best friend had such a harsh way of talking, but it was her charm, truly.

Daisy didn't bother with putting her shoes on. She carried them in case she needed something to throw. Her feet were already wet anyway, dirt and grass sticking to them. That wasn't very comfortable to put into shoes.

The four approached the bridge cautiously. Sure enough, the bike parked next to the bridge was the mach bike that cut them off on the Highway earlier. Almost in unison, they peered around the edge of the bridge to see a man standing in knee-high water. He was dressed a black jumpsuit with a green hat and matching scarf around his neck. He stood only a few feet from the waterfall the tollbooth operator had mentioned.

Daisy gasped. It couldn't be the mysterious thief from the desert, could it?

"You're late." The man turned, holding a star shard between the forefinger and thumb of his gloved hand. He looked up at the group huddled at the side of the bridge, a smug smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. "Mr. Hero."

…

 **Author's musings**

And so the great Mr. L meets the heroes! Kind of a jerk, cutting off people like that on the road. Rude.

 **References**

Mushroom City is easily one of my favorite places to reference. There are several _Mario Kart_ courses that reference the place, so my intrepid heroes always seem to end up there, getting dumplings and reading newspapers.

Mushroom City, Mushroom Turnpike, and Moonview Highway are all Kart courses. The toll booth mentioned does appear in the Moonview Highway course, though I moved it to the City side of the bridge as opposed to the mountainous one.

Double Cherry Pass surprisingly _doesn't_ come from Mario Kart but instead from 3D World and features one of my favorite themesongs.


	7. Battle in the skies

"It's the mysterious thief from the paper!" Daisy jabbed a finger at the man in black.

"Thief is such a harsh word," the man retorted. Five seconds in and they were already labeling him a villain. They truly wanted the Great Star for themselves. Despicable. "The star shards are free game, and I don't like to lose competitions."

"Nonsense!" Daisy spat at him.

The thief stared at her flatly. Was there no one intelligent in this world? No, there was more to the golden princess than she let on, more underneath that rough exterior that people underestimated. That surely was what happened to Mimi, underestimating her opponent and letting the golden princess get the better of her. The man standing before them right now inherently understood her strength but his target wasn't her. It was Mario.

"I don't know who you think you are," Daisy continued, "but we-"

"Who am I?" He cut her off, raising his right hand into the air dramatically. "I am the Green Thunder. Mr. L, not some eight-bit thief." He spoke smoothly and boisterously, pleased to introduce himself to these sidekicks. They would simply know his name, and that's all they needed to know. His business was with his rival, Mario.

"Don't interrupt me, you villain!" Daisy shouted. "We need those shards to prevent the end of all worlds, so give them back!"

To prevent the end all worlds? What nonsense was she prattling on about? But it didn't matter, did it? They've already labeled him as the villain. It made sense, truly. He was countering the great hero of the Mushroom World, that undefeatable, insufferable man in red who flirted incessantly with the princess in pink, leaving the others to be the third wheels. Wait. Wasn't there a fourth member to their group? Oh right, the ninji, that jumping black creature who was currently attempting to hide behind the bridge. She wasn't important anyway. Only the man in red was.

"Villain, you say?" Mr. L echoed, tilting his head just slightly to attempt to bore his stare through the hearts of his opposition. "Very well, I'll play the part of the villain. If you can beat me, Mr. Hero, you can have this. Have at you."

"Alright then!" Daisy stepped forward, placing a foot on the bridge railing to jump over it. She pushed up her arms as if she were pushing her sleeves up her arms, ready for a brawl. "I'll pound your-" she stopped mid-sentence when she felt Mario's hand on her arm. She felt almost hurt that he stopped her, as if he didn't believe she could win this fight against this smooth-talking weirdo. "I can do this myself," she hissed at him. "My legend, my responsibility!"

He looked up at her. "Please protect Peach and Ninjetta."

She had expected confidence in his eyes, but all she could see was sadness. He wasn't that different from her, after all. They both liked to do everything themselves and not let anyone else bear the burden. They were both feeling the loss of Luigi and taking it personally, Mario naturally more so as he'd lost his only brother.

With a huff, she conceded. Someone did have to protect Peach, but that wasn't his only intention, was it? Daisy was still a prime target, and they weren't certain if Mr. L had intended to attack her as well. Mario wished to put himself in the line of fire to protect all of them. Daisy would simply have to be the second line of defense for Peach and the first line of defense in guarding that precious toy Luigi had made for her.

She withdrew her foot from the railing, picked up her shoes, and ushered Peach and Ninjetta off the bridge.

"Very well then." Mr. L watched Daisy usher the two off as he tucked the star shard into his pocket. "Where were we? Oh right. Have at you, Mr. Hero!"

Bending at the knees, Mr. L sprang up to unimaginable heights. His movements were obscured by the rain and misty air as he moved, but Mario had an idea of where his opponent might land. He quickly sprang backward, expecting the strike to land where he once stood but not expecting how powerful it might be. As Mr. L sprang up, he used the momentum to create a stronger attack, curling one foot under and using the other as a means for a directed attack. The attack hit hard, shattering the binding between the stones in the bridge and taking the entire wall down as he landed.

Mr. L stood on the rubble formerly known as the wall, his body arched slightly forward, one leg curled underneath him as he balanced on the foot he used for the attack. "It's good to know you're taking this seriously, Mr. Hero." He looked up, carefully watching as Mario landed a few feet away upstream. "But dodging won't bring you victory."

Mario glanced around briefly. He couldn't find any signs of power ups nearby or even something that could help him right now. He'd simply have to use whatever was in his pockets to overpower this adversary. There was another option, a power he'd gained years ago when blessed by the Fire God in Oho Oasis, but he resisted using it. "Why do you even want the star shards, Mr. L?"

Mr. L placed his curled foot down firmly on the rubble. "What is this, an interrogation?" Mario was annoying, always trying to reason with people. This was a fight to see who was number one in strength, not linguistics. He yearned to be more powerful, to have the greater prowess in battle, and to accomplish his orders. He would please the Count and eliminate his greatest opposition in the process. He would become the Count's number one minion as well as number one in the Mushroom World. He would finally have the recognition he deserved. It would all work out to his favor.

Mr. L bent his knees, preparing to fire off another jumping attack when he noticed Mario pull something out of his pocket. Dozens of duplicate Marios appeared within the riverbed. "A pal pill?" Mr. L scoffed. "Are you trying to hide from me?" It was an interesting choice of power ups. Mario was probably buying himself time, but there was a restriction to the power. The original had to stay within the copies. All he had to do was eliminate the copies and find the real one.

Mario was well aware of the limitations of the power. He stood among his duplicates, surrounded by them as he attempted to formulate a plan. He had to defeat Mr. L and get that star shard, but there was something about him that bothered Mario, something familiar. Had they met before, perhaps in a previous life as Peach had suggested? It certainly wasn't in this life. He searched through his pockets, watching as Mr. L easily defeated the clones and now stood on the undamaged railing of the bridge, staring at the three remaining Marios in the water.

"Don't insult me, Mr. Hero," Mr. L scoffed. "I thought you would be more of a challenge."

Truthfully, Mario didn't have much in his pockets, save the pal pill he'd picked up some time ago. He couldn't exactly remember when and he'd never used it. The thing probably went through the laundry a few times before actually getting any use. The rain had brought in some fog around the river, forming cloud flowers at the shoreline. "Let's take this battle to the skies."

He lept to the side, his two remaining doubles following him as he reached for the flower. As soon as he grabbed it, his doubles disappeared, his outfit transforming as he powered up. His overalls turned white, a fluffy cloud hugged his collar, and his hat turned into a white puffy cloud. Spinning, he created a cloud above him and used it as a platform to reach the gathering mist.

"That's more like it!" Mr. L sprang from his perch on the bridge, landing to touch a cloud flower as well. His cap turned into a fluffy black cloud and his pants puffed out, but he largely retained the same appearance. He had an advantage, though. Mr. L already possessed an incredible jumping ability. He didn't need to make a cloud to spring into the mist. The effects of the cloud suit only added to his natural abilities, lifting him up into the air with ease. The cloud flower was only capable of creating so many clouds before the effects wore off, so he didn't want to waste a single one.

On the ground below, Daisy shielded her eyes from the rain, attempting to watch the two spring into the sky. "Man, that guy pisses me off." And yet, as much as he angered her, there was something about him that felt familiar. Mario was right, and now that she'd seen him in person, she felt it too. There was a villain in the legend of the Dark Star, but he described as wearing a theater mask and strange clothes, never fully named. Could he somehow be related to that villain? No, that was silly. It was a legend anyway, probably with only bits and pieces actually true.

"I hope Mario is okay," Peach worried, shielding her eyes from the rain as well. How troublesome this weather was. She tugged on Daisy's arm to follow her and the they traveled to where they parked the bikes. Peach took her parasol from her bike and opened it up. "This should shield us from the rain so we can watch." Sure enough, standing under the parasol, the rain no longer obscured their vision, though the mist was still an obstacle they couldn't overcome. They could barely make out the forms of Mario and Mr. L moving about on the clouds. A breeze separated the misty clouds for a moment, offering a clear view of Mr. L standing at the edge.

The two had exchanged a few blows while perched on the clouds. Mario brushed the mud off his face Mr. L had kicked up at him in the process. "Why are you doing this, Mr. L?" Mario attempted to reason with him. "Why would you want to destroy this world?"

There he went again, attempting to put words into his mouth. Mr. L seethed. Mario always wanted to play the part of the righteous hero, but he was quickly making assumptions about Mr. L's intentions. Why did Mario keep assuming he had any intention of destroying the world. This was the Mushroom World, _his_ world. He'd be number one of nothing if this world didn't exist.

He knew this would happen, though. The world he called home was trying to demonize him, calling him a thief and a villain. He'd prepared himself for it, preparing to become the villain to counter the so-called heroes also seeking the Great Star for themselves. He thought he could handle it, yet in truth, it was irritating him. He hated it. He hated them all. They couldn't understand the truth about him, blinded by only what they saw and what they thought was true.

"Enough!" Mr. L hissed. "Time to show you how I earned the name Green Thunder!" Drawing his hands out to either side, he gathered static electricity in them, letting it snake up his arms and around his body. He could generate his own green-colored lightning, and as soon as he'd gathered enough, he thrust his right hand towards Mario, sending a huge bolt of green lightning directly at him. Mario sprang up but in a silent command courtesy of Mr. L, the lightning split, snaking out in all directions, and striking Mario as he floated in the sky. The jolt shook the cloud power from him, sending Mario straight down through the clouds and into the riverbed.

"Mario!" Peach cried, reaching out to him as he impacted the river with a loud splash. Mario was hurt badly and he didn't make any moves after he landed, simply staying down in the water. She had to give him a mushroom to help bring him back to full strength. That Mr. L could easily kill him if he'd been wounded too badly.

Daisy grabbed her, wrapping her arms around her friend to stop her as Mr. L floated downwards from the clouds, the effects of the cloud suit slowing his descent. As his foot touched the water, the cloud suit dissipated, leaving the original outfit in its wake. "And here I thought my great rival would be stronger."

"How could you?!" Peach screamed at him, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you trying to destroy this world?! Don't you care about it?"

Mr. L turned to them, bearing his teeth. There they went again, assuming he was there to destroy his home world. "What gives you any right to assume my intentions?" he hissed as he turned. That was all they did. Assume. He thought they were better than that, but that was truly all they did. He'd become the villain even before he set foot in the river. It hurt. Truthfully it did. It made him no better than that unscrupulous koopa king, and that was everything far from the truth. He hadn't killed or kidnapped anyone, and he was well aware Mario would survive the fall. Mr. Hero was resilient. It was something he both respected and hated about the man.

He turned fully, facing the waterfall as he hopped from the riverbed to the bridge. He had what he needed. He no longer had a reason to stay. In truth, he was disappointed Mario fell so easily. He expected a better battle, but he'd also taken Mario by surprise, throwing him from the sky into the water. To think O'chunks and Mimi so easily lost to him. Were they truly that worthless? Well that meant he'd simply win the contest much more easily.

Mr. L wobbled forward and nearly face planted on the bridge as a large fireball struck him from the back, throwing his hat clear off his head. He caught himself with his hands, the fall saving him from the brunt of the damage as the fireball slammed into the side of the bridge and the rest over it. As the light from the fire dimmed, Mr. L pushed himself up, standing on the bridge to see the source.

Mario stood in the riverbed, barely as he wobbled, wounded from the fall impact. He held one hand out, the other at his side, with a determined expression drawn across his features. "You're not the only one with an elemental power, Mr. L."

A devious smile quickly spanned his face. "Now there's the great rival I expected." He pulled his hand back, preparing to launch another lightning attack, but he stopped himself. He wasn't certain why but he simply couldn't do it. Something inside of him stopped.

Mario made no move to attack either. Without his hat, Mr. L reminded Mario a lot of Luigi. The shape of the face, the mustache, the hairstyle in that particular cowlick of the bangs and that crown in the back that causes his hair to stick up. The appearance was strikingly similar and hard to simply push aside. Yet what Mario simply didn't understand was why he looked so much like Luigi. Surely it couldn't be coincidence, and it couldn't be Luigi with that abrasive personality.

"Well, well, Mr. Hero, it looks like you really are worthy of my attention," Mr. L proclaimed. "Yet for now, let's call this a draw. I'll be back, and I will win our next battle. Don't disappoint me. I want to earn the title of being number one."

Mario pushed himself to his feet. He'd hurt his ankle during the fall. He could feel it attempt to give way underneath him. "Mr. L, wait."

"I'm done here." Mr. L rose his left hand to the sky, revealing the contraption entwined with his fingers. He'd avoided using it in battle. While it did augment his natural thunder abilities, he wanted to win without enhancements. "Brother! To me!"

Mario opened his mouth to protest, to attempt to reason with Mr. L once again but his voice was quickly drowned out by the sounds of a helicopter followed by the winds. The large mechanical robotic head Mr. L had been working on flew up the side of the waterfall, hovering just above the river behind him. "My dear mechanical brother and I shall look forward to our next encounter, Mr. Hero. Don't expect me to go easy on you. And perhaps if you defeat me, I'll tell you my true intentions."

Springing backwards, Mr. L grabbed the rungs of the ladder on the side of the face, pulling himself into the cockpit as the odd mechanical contraption backed up down the river and flew downwards following the waterfall down the hillside. The two princesses dashed forward, attempting to see where the odd thing headed, but as soon as they looked over the edge, he was gone.

"I'm..." Peach stared down the waterfall, gathering her thoughts. A lot had happened in the past few minutes she wasn't entirely sure she understood. "I'm not sure he intends to destroy the worlds with the Dark Star."

"Aw come _on_ , Peach!" Daisy countered. She knew Peach to be incredibly forgiving, but this guy could easily be involved in a plot to turn everything into nothingness. He was harsh, abrasive, and had some weird self-proclaimed rivalry with Mario. "That guy's a madman!"

"You saw how furious he got with me when I accused him of destroying the world," Peach pointed out. "He didn't gloat at all."

Daisy tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "You do have a point. What villain _wouldn't_ gloat about something that huge?"

"He knocked me out of the sky when I said the same thing," Mario noted as he knelt down to pick up the partially scorched hat the fireball had knocked off Mr. L's head. "He may very well be an independent agent. Or even worse, someone is lying to him about the true nature of the star shards."

...

His boots squeaked against the black floor of Castle Bleck. He'd returned successful though rather beat up. He'd lost his hat, the shoulder of his outfit was scorched and now sported a hole in it, and he was soaking wet. He had a lot on his mind. He could've continued the fight right there, resumed his battle with Mario until one finally killed the other. But something stopped him, something pinged in the back of his mind not to continue. He shook his head. It wasn't important.

"Mr. L!" Mimi interrupted his thoughts as she ran towards him. "You're a mess! Did that mean old Mario beat you up?"

"What do you care?" Mr. L scoffed.

Mimi puffed up in response. His attitude really just irritated her. "We may be competing but we're all in this together, you know!"

He stared down at her for a moment, his clothing dripping all over the clean floor. "I'll have you know, Mims, that I beat him up too. He is my rival, after all." A large cocky grin overcame his formerly stoic features. It wasn't a complete victory, but he did walk away with the prize which he quickly displayed in his hand proudly.

She stared at the shard, unsure of what to say. He didn't call her brat or junior. He called her 'Mims'. What happened at that battle with Mario? Was he finally realizing they were all in this together for the Count? She stared up at him, her mouth slightly open as she fished for words. He said nothing in return, simply turning on his shoes and heading down the hallway to offer his prize to the Count.

…

 **Author's notes**

And so L and Mario finally fight! And two conflicting stories about the star shards clash. L is a lot of fun to write. His desire to become number one and believing that he _is_ number one makes him appear to be such an arrogant douche. He wants a good fight, and he'll _have_ his good fight no matter what.

 **References**

The Fire God and Oho Island come from _Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga_. Both Mario and Luigi retrieve elemental powers, Fire and Lightning respectively. _Super Paper Mario_ really seems to reference it with The Green Thunder, so if that's here, then Mario obviously would still have his power too. (and it's honestly a theme when I reference the brothers having actual elemental abilities)

The Pal Pill is actually a _SPM_ -only item. The item creates an army of 8-bit duplicates, but as I intended Paper Stars to look a bit more realistic and gritty than Paper Mario usually is, I have them be rather accurate doppelgangers instead of 8-bit replicas.

The cloud flower comes from _Super Mario Galaxy 2_ and is honestly one of the cutest little flowers. Here it works pretty much like the original. The user can create and walk on natural clouds, but the effects disappear when the user takes damage or is touching water. While it is raining in this scene, I've had it where the cloud flower requires a lot of water to disappear, like the river.


	8. Fuzzy frenzy

The rain still fell, though certainly not as hard as it had earlier in the day. Daisy, Peach, and Ninjetta had set out to the Forever Forest just outside Mushroom City alone, leaving Mario in a hotel room to rest and recover after his battle with the mysterious Mr. L.

Peach's mind was still on Mario and Mr. L. Mario had sustained very few injuries from the fall, surprisingly, just a twisted ankle and some really bad static electricity. And even stranger, there was something about that mysterious adversary that just felt familiar. Peach was certain of it, though she'd never met the man before. She couldn't recall seeing him at any of the sporting events or even karting. He certainly didn't work with Bowser and hadn't shown up at any of the parties either. Perhaps he was a self-proclaimed rival as Waluigi was to Luigi, but when Waluigi first appeared, he didn't strike anyone with a sense of familiarity. It was truly a mystery.

"Aw man!" Daisy shouted, interrupting Peach's thoughts. "Are you _sure_ you know where you're taking us, Ninjetta? That's the fourth time we've passed that broken down sign!"

"The DS says it's right ahead!" Ninjetta huffed, frustrated as well. "They might as well call this the lost forest! We really are going in- Did you see that bush move?!" Ninjetta pointed at the nearby bushes, her hand still on the DS shaking.

Peach followed Ninjetta's indication towards a bush that seemed pretty ordinary. The forest had grown dark, the trees blocking out much of the rain and any other daylight above. It was rather eerie, and Peach couldn't help pondering how Luigi would react to such a place. Yet at the moment, her attention was focused on the bush that was spooking the ninji. She tilted her head curiously, tapping a finger on her cheek as she watched it. "How curious."

"It's just a bush!" Daisy fussed, stepping forward and pushing up her figurative sleeves as if she were preparing for a brawl. She tapped the bush a few times then proceeded to shake it. "See? Nothing's wrong!" she proclaimed, turning back to her frightened retainer.

"P-p-p-princess!" Ninjetta, stammered, pointing at the bush once more. "It's got teeth!"

"Daisy look out!" Peach jumped forward, grabbing her friend and pulling her parasol up behind her head, ready to attack.

"Hey!" the bush shouted. "I should be angry at you waking me up from my sleep, nyeah nyeah?" He yawned, opening his mouth widely, revealing four rather flat and strangely placed teeth. Shaking, the bush shook off all the leaves that had settled upon it, revealing a green fuzzy underneath. The creature was oddly shaped, as all fuzzies were, with one eye larger than the other as it stared at the two princesses and the ninji.

"And I should be angry at you invading my forest!" the bush-fuzzy screeched. "Fuzzy Horde! Attack!"

"Aw man!" Daisy whined as dozens upon dozens of green forest fuzzies quickly swarmed, forming a large circle barrier around them.

Fuzzies weren't known to be entirely civilized creatures. In fact, they were some of the most feral, largely sticking to remote locations in the sky or away from cities. They certainly knew and understood the common language, but that was about it. Their society and hierarchy was barely even known. They tended to drain or poison any creatures who dared tread into their territory. Or push them off a ledge. That was equally possible.

Peach stepped forward, hoping to reason with them. "We do not wish to intrude on your territory. We simply wish to pass through. We seek something which has fallen from the sky."

"Anything that falls into our territory is ours!" A larger fuzzy rolled in from within the crowd. She was a brighter green than the rest, wearing an odd yellow bow with white spots. "I am the Queen of the Fuzzies! Pay us with all your star shards and maybe we'll let you go!" Her words incited a loud cheer from the horde of fuzzies.

"Like hell we'll do that! These star shards are important to us!" Daisy replied, brandishing a fist. "I'll take you all on all by myself if I have to!"

Peach didn't counter Daisy's reply with something more eloquent. Instead she focused her attention on the Queen, curiously pondering how she knew what star shards were. The hunt for the star shards had been largely secret. There had been no official announcement involving the search or the situation, though there had been repeated articles requesting for sightings of Luigi. The legend of the star shards was pretty exclusive to the Chai Kingdom, and that was quite far away from the forest full of fuzzies. Fuzzies were hardly known to travel, especially not for long distances. Nor were they known for their ability to read. "How peculiar."

Daisy glanced over at Peach. What a strange thing to say in this sort of situation. She was calm. Perhaps too calm. Daisy glanced at the larger, bow-wearing fuzzy queen. There was something off about that fuzzy. Regardless, Daisy still stood between the fuzzy queen and Peach, prepared to pounce at a moment's notice. She would protect them all and protect the star shards.

"Do as the Queen demands, nyeah nyeah!" the bush-fuzzy demanded, "or we'll tear you all apart! I bet you all taste good, nyeah!"

"I do wonder," Peach countered calmly, "how the queen of a secluded tribe heard about the star shards. Perhaps did you travel to the great Mushroom City and away from your own tribe?"

Murmuring spread across the gathered fuzzy horde. The queen leaving the forest was highly unusual and dangerous. She rarely left the shelter of the trees and bushes.

"Perhaps this is an imposter," Peach suggested.

"Do not listen to this human!" the fuzzy queen screeched. "She's filling your head with lies! Attack! attack!"

Despite the attempt to reason with and convince the fuzzies that their queen was an imposter, the fuzzy horde sprang into motion, leaping at the two princesses and the ninji. With the flick of her wrist, Peach opened her parasol, using it as a shield against the horde. She backed up, standing back to back with Daisy, Ninjetta hiding between the two.

Daisy poised for battle, her hands balled into fists, ready to punch the fuzzies from the air. She knew the risks, she knew that fuzzies were capable of draining energy and sometimes even poisoning, but what choice did she have, truly? She was the only fighter of the three, and that meant she had to be the hero, protecting her friends and the precious star shards.

Several sprang at her, and she responded with a swift kick, driving her heel into the faces of her fuzzy attackers. She repelled several of them, but that technique only worked for a short while, and soon the fuzzies attacked two by two, one absorbing the kick and the other latching onto her leg and biting it. Daisy reeled in pain, reacting by punching the fuzzy off her leg with a swift and angry fist. Another leapt up, latching onto her arm and draining her energy from her. The more they attacked, the weaker she felt. She couldn't fall here. She had to protect everyone and the star shards. She had to find Luigi and tell him how she truly felt.

Peach gasped as she felt Daisy simply slump down behind her. Quickly she knelt down, clutching her friend's unconscious body, using her umbrella as a shield against the fuzzy onslaught. Yet suddenly and inexplicably, the fuzzies ceased their assault.

"Where did they go, nyeah?!" the bush-fuzzy shouted.

"They couldn't have gone far!" shouted another fuzzy.

"W-w-what's that?!" cried a third fuzzy.

Sounds of at least a dozen boos filled Peach and Ninjetta's ears. The boos cackled and chittered, swarming and dive bombing the forest fuzzies, dispersing their horde. One stopped, hovering just before the edge of Peach's parasol. He faced the fuzzy queen, wagging his tongue menacingly at her. "BOO! Nyahahahahahaha!"

"This isn't what I signed up for!" the fuzzy queen shrieked. Spider-like legs grew out of her fuzzy form, carrying her backwards right into another boo, then another. Why were there ghosts here? No one mentioned ghosts! They weren't cute at all! "MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!" She stumbled backwards and through a black portal, which sealed up behind her.

"Such vile and heathen creatures." the boo sighed, becoming visible once again. She was a light green shade with long eyelashes, green eyeshadow, and a red bow on either side of her face. She flipped open her magenta fan, fanning herself. "They think they have control of this forest, but it is mine." She floated to the ground, turning to face Peach and her huddled friends. "You are Princess Peach, aren't you?"

Peach peered out from beneath her parasol, looking up to the greenish boo. Several of the boos covered their faces as Peach looked, yet others dared not cover their eyes. "I am. I am deeply sorry if we've invaded your territory. We seem to be terribly lost."

The greenish boo floated up to Peach, looking her over. "Well you are cute, but certainly not as cute as me!" she gloated, fanning herself. "But regardless, any friend of Mario is a friend of mine. But where are my manners? I am Lady Bow, the lord of the mansion at the edge of the forest."

"You helped Mario retrieve the Star Rod, didn't you? And you've come to my rescue once again. I greatly appreciate you chasing off those fuzzies and that imposter queen," Peach smiled brightly. "This is Daisy from Sarasaland and her retainer, Ninjetta. I'm afraid the fuzzies attacked my dear friend. I truly should get her back to the city for help."

"I wasn't sure if you'd remember me, but who wouldn't remember someone as cute as I?" Bow mused, tapping her fan against her cheek. "Cuteness aside, what troubles me is that the queen was an imposter." That did explain why the fuzzies were acting so brashly lately. She had used her ability to hide in the forest to watch them but until today, she hadn't seen them to attack. It was good that she arrived when she did, using her hide ability to conceal the location of the three wary travelers.

She did ponder where the calm queen had wandered off to, but fuzzies weren't her main concern. She had her own boos to look after. "But you don't need to travel _all_ the way back to the city. As cute as she would be to add to my boos, I'll have Bootler tend to her wounds. Come. I'll lead the way."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Peach stood, revealing the ninji which had attempted to hide between the two princesses' skirts. Closing her parasol, she handed it to Ninjetta then carefully hauled Daisy onto her back, carrying her friend like a backpack.

...

Her mansion was dark and gloomy, filled with cobwebs and crooked paintings, quite typical of a place where boos lived, and certainly a proper lady would have a proper haunted mansion. Peach stood out against the dim surroundings in her pink dress, seated at the table in the dining hall, sipping on some tea. She had left Daisy in one of the bedrooms along with Ninjetta and Bow's butler, Bootler. She couldn't help worrying about her friend. Daisy had taken the brunt of the fuzzy assault in an attempt to protect her friends and the precious star shards they held.

Bow patiently listened as Peach explained the legend and the hunt for the star shards, which had lead them into the forest in the first place, and the encounters they'd had so far with the mysterious adversaries.

"What is it with villains trying to steal the stars?" Bow scoffed, fanning herself with her magenta fan. "And somehow that villain Bowser _isn't_ involved?"

"That's correct," Peach nodded, setting the teacup down on the table. It was surprisingly good tea. Bootler knew how to brew tea well. "There has been no sign of him at all, and these people, save Mr. L, don't even look like they belong to this world. I think they're jumping between worlds for the sole purpose of locating and retrieving star shards. They can find them almost as quickly as we can."

"That's what drew you into the forest, isn't it?" Bow reasoned. "You're after the star that fell here. I wanted to keep this gem, but because you're Mario's friend, I'll give it to you instead." Floating over to the dilapidated dresser, she opened one of the drawers. Removing a decorative box covered in dust and cobwebs, she floated back over to the table, offering to the princess.

Peach almost hesitantly took the box, given how dusty it was, but she reasoned the lady boo thought it was beautiful. Boos did like the dusty and creepy, after all, and Bow certainly kept the creepy factor of her mansion. When she'd entered earlier, Peach had noticed a few boo as they hung cobwebs up around the candelabras, though they hid immediately when they noticed her looking at them.

"I believe it suits you better, Princess," Bow added. "Shiny never was my thing. I prefer dark. Regardless, I hope this helps you on your journey."

Careful not to disrupt the cobwebs, worrying Bow might be insulted, Peach wiggled the lid off the box, finding an ornate tarnished necklace inside with a star shard embedded in the center as a gem. One star shard closer to stopping the dark star.

…

 **Author's notes**

Oh how I do love fuzzies, those weird looking, marginally annoying enemies. They appear in pretty much every Paper Mario game and quite a lot of other platformers, the rpgs, and occasionally Mario Party. There are green fuzzies that live in forests in two of the Paper Mario games, so here I've called the Forest Fuzzies. Fitting, right?

The Fuzzy Hoard refers to a massive number of fuzzies swarming together and appears in very few games. I had been playing _Super Mario 3D World_ at the time when I first wrote this, and there's a level where you have to run from the fuzzy hoard.

Lady Bow is from the original _Paper Mario_. She and Bootler live in Boo Mansion and she has the ability to hide people. She appears as a cameo in _Super Paper Mario_ in various paintings and as a card.


	9. Double trouble

Mimi slumped into the kitchen table chair, picking fuzz from her hair. She thought it was the perfect plan. She'd disguise herself and replace the fuzzy queen of the forest and capture Mario and company there. Sure, Mr. L had warned her about the strength the team had, but she didn't expect such a brutal defeat.

Two weeks had passed since that botched mission, and she was still picking fuzzy fuzz from her hair. The time since then had been mostly preoccupied by sulking. The Count had called off the hunt temporarily in Mushroom World favor of a different plan. The humans would do the work and the minions would simply take what they'd collected, preventing them from summoning the wishing star for their own selfish purposes. Dimentio and O'chunks traveled to other Worlds, collecting whatever star shards may have traveled there in the meantime.

But even so, waiting wasn't her strong suit. She had time to sulk and stare at her rubee collection. She flipped the pages over on her hot boy calendar, counting the days one by one until they could act. Mimi hadn't seen much of the others, save O'chunks, but even he was busy fighting what he called a "chunking dummy" when he wasn't out in another world.

She nearly jumped, stirring from her thoughts as a plate suddenly dropped in front of her. The plate was filled with a strange ridged pile of something that looked like noodles, meat, and cheese with some grilled mushrooms on top. Glancing up, she found Mr. L staring down at her, scowling as usual. He never had any other expression, but that wasn't what she wondered about. It was how long he'd been standing there. "What's this?"

"Lasagne," he replied, staring intently at her with his crystal-colored eyes. He'd rolled up his sleeves, removing the gloves and tucking them into his belt so he could bake without hindrance. The casserole dish was sitting on the stove, cooling off, two squares missing. One square was on Mimi's plate, the other on a plate he held in his hand.

"I want pasta," Mimi huffed, pushing her lip out to pout.

"It _is_ pasta," he frowned sharply. "Eat it."

"It looks like a roof tile." Mimi stared back at the plate, prodding the lasagne with her finger.

"Fine, go hungry," he scoffed, turning to exit the kitchen and return to his work. "I have work to do."

"Wait! Hey! What work?!" Mimi screeched, standing up from the table to stop him. "Where have you been for the past two weeks?!"

He paused by the doorway, turning to look over his shoulder. "Preparations." He had taken to seclude himself, working on his inventions to further the Count's plans. He would be victorious over his rival. It would be a fight of legends.

Yet in his obsession, he had pushed away the one person who actually seemed to care about him in this dark world. He wasn't one to necessarily care for much more than his rivalry and his duty, but there was something about being noticed that appealed to him. Unlike the others, Mimi always paid attention to him, even when he attempted to push her away. He had a higher calling, a purpose of becoming the wishing star's vessel, yet Mimi always treated him like a person, even if half their conversations involved shouting at each other.

Almost begrudgingly, he turned and retreated to the table, dropping his plate on it then slipping into the chair across from her, leaning forward on with his elbows on the table. "I'm making something to best Mr. Hero once and for all, and then I'll be number one of the Mushroom World."

She hadn't expected him to return so easily, preparing herself to screech some more at him, but was pleased he'd sat down with her. She'd spent so much time alone the past two weeks, dwelling over another failure. It was nice to have some actual company that was actually breathing instead of just pictures of hot boys. "Can't you just wish it when we summon the wishing star?"

"Wouldn't be as satisfying," he scoffed. "I want to beat him with my own two hands." Even if those two hands had built something to beat him, it would count. And then the Green Thunder would be victorious, the one everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom remembered. He would finally step out of Mario's shadow.

"I see," Mimi nodded. "It would be like me finally beating those mean old princesses!" She jabbed the fork into the lasagne, tearing off a piece. She was hungry and frustrated and this roof-tile pasta smelled really delicious.

Mr. L knew that reaction well, that feeling of being number two. "I see you've found yourself some rivals." A smirk spread across his features as he pulled off a piece of lasagna. She had developed her own rivalry with Mario's allies. Now _this_ was entertaining.

She shoved a piece of lasagna in her mouth angrily, frustrated with the situation but even that frustration was quickly quelled as tasted the new oddly-shaped pasta.

"Suddenly lasagne is acceptable?" Mr. L mused. It wasn't quite spaghetti, which was her favorite, but he felt like making something different this time.

"Mmm mmmm," Mimi replied, stuffing her mouth full of more, pausing only to glance up at the doorway as Nastasia entered.

"Mr. L," Nastasia called out. "The Count would like to speak with you."

Mimi frowned. Was she going to be left here with nothing to do? Surely she could have her hand in granting the Count's greatest wish. She huffed, watching Mr. L exit the kitchen with Nastasia. Sure, she had her losses, but she hadn't used up her usefulness. She eyed the casserole dish behind her on the counter. Another square of roof-tile pasta. That would make her happy for a moment.

Mr. L hadn't expected to hear anything from the Count. It could be something to do or perhaps a status report on recent inventions, though usually Nastasia was the one to inquire about them. In the grand meeting hall, the Count had already taken a seat, draping his cape and himself over the arms as he nestled sideways into the chair. In his hand was the star tome, his staff resting against the seat. He beckoned the two in.

Mr. L took a knee respectfully, hoping this was a mission of sorts. His work was complete. He was ready for the next move.

"Bleck has a special mission for L," the count began, shutting the book with one hand. "Bleck needs to know of the Man in Red's progress and the location of the Man's star shards. And if L can take the shards, even better."

A large smirk tugged at Mr. L's features. Finally, it was time to have a face-off with Mario once again. This time he'd be certain to emerge victorious and become number one.

"But Bleck isn't done," the count added, holding one finger out to his minion. "L must take a partner to the Mushroom World for a special task. L must choose who this partner will be."

There was only one right answer in Mr. L's mind, only one person he'd entrust a special task and one person who he'd trust to not screw the whole thing up.

...

"Get your things, Mims, we're leaving."

Mimi dropped the fork on the table as she gaped, working on her third square of roof-tile pasta. "What?!"

Mr. L frowned, glaring down his nose at her. "Did I stutter? Get your things. We've got a job. Right now. And I'm sure you don't want to disappoint the Count."

Mimi lit up excitedly. She wasn't sure why the count paired the two of them up, but she was happy to get something done. And if she were to team up with anyone else, she'd choose Mr. L because he was reliable and smart. O'chunks had strength, but he'd rather go off chunkin' things instead of getting work done. Dimentio never seemed to be around. Mr. L, even as harsh as he was, certainly was the natural choice.

Shoveling the last of the pasta into her mouth, she sprang from her seat, dumping her dishes in the sink, and skipped out after him. "I'm really surprised the Count paired us up together."

"He didn't," Mr. L countered as he rounded the corner, heading down the hallway towards his workshop. "He said to chose. You're the only one I trust."

Mimi stopped and stared. "You trust Mimikins?"

He turned, pushing the door to his workshop open. "You have more than half a braincell, and I know where your loyalties lie. Besides, you're the only one who will fit into my robot and not wreck it."

That was about as close to a compliment as she'd get from him. And he mentioned a robot. Sure, they weren't cute boys or rubees, but they were robots! She skidded around the corner after him, following into his workshop. Pausing at the doorway, she gaped, marveling at how large the place was. She didn't even know something like this existed. "It's like a mansion in here!"

Reaching the railing, he turned, opening his arms dramatically. "Welcome to my workshop, the best there is, of course." Humility wasn't his strong point. "And here is my greatest creation, my mechanical brother, Brobot."

She glued herself to the railing, peering over. She hadn't noticed the mechanical creation at first, but she was more focusing on Mr. L and the lasagne stuck between her teeth. "Are those cannons?"

"Are those cannons," Mr. L scoffed. "Only the best cannons there are, capable of firing bursts of static electricity. I would settle for nothing less. Not to mention he's also capable of hopping worlds and flight. He'll come whenever I call him. That _is_ what brothers do, after all."

She glanced at him sideways. Mr. L was surely the odd sort, but all people from the Mushroom World were odd to her, but she couldn't deny that L was extremely intelligent. "Goodness! You built all this? In less than a month?!"

"But of course," Mr. L bragged. "I _am_ a mechanical genius. Come, my brother awaits. We have an important mission to accomplish." He turned, pushing open another door to the landing bay behind Brobot's massive head. At the push of a button, the top of the head opened with a whirr.

Mimi stared before startling with a hop and bounding after him. "Wait up! You still haven't told me what that is!"

"It's a plan so good, I'm disappointed I didn't think of it myself!" He motioned towards the hatch. "Get in. I'll explain."

He stepped over the gap and slid into a seat behind a number of controls. Panels lit up, covered with various buttons and a pair of joysticks. The windshield was slightly tinted. As Mimi hopped in, taking a seat next to him, she marveled at the panels, wanting to touch every button to see what each did. Maybe one of them would pop out a bunch of rubees. She reached forward but was quickly deterred when Mr. L reached over to push a button and close the hatch. She slumped into her seat, folding her arms and attempting not to give into temptation.

The robot whirred to life, lifting up and out of the supports which held it. A few more button presses and Brobot generated a large portal in front of them, drawing them inside and towards their destination of the Mushroom World. "Our mission is to launch a dual attack. I'll drop you off at Plack Beach to collect the star shards there. I have an improved shard tracker that should make this a breeze."

"There are cutie-pies at the beach!" Mimi exclaimed excitedly.

"Focus, Mims!" Mr. L fussed, prodding her in the shoulder. "We're not going to sightsee."

Mimi huffed. "Right. Right. But what about that hero and his mean posse of princesses?"

"That's where the great Mr. L comes in." He tapped his chest, indicating himself with a smug smirk. "I'll intersect them in Dimple Woods, preventing them from coming your way and taking whatever star shards they have on them."

"Brilliant!" Mimi exclaimed excitedly. "The sooner we get all the star shards, the sooner the Count will have his wish! I wonder if he'd let me wish for a mansion full of cute boys and rubees! What would you wish for, Mr. L?"

"I wouldn't wish for anything," Mr. L replied. "I want to be number one by my own hand." 

… **.**

 **Author's notes**

L is really obsessed with being number one… Seriously.

The two locations, Plack Beach and Dimple Woods, are both from _Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story_ (the third game in the Mario & Luigi series), which I reference heavily in this fic. There are theories that the M&L and Paper Mario universes are somehow linked, but nothing's been completely proven. One can always dream they are, right?


	10. Thunder bolts and fireballs

"8... 9... 10... hm... 15." Daisy held out all the star shards they'd collected for her companions to see. "16 if you count the toy."

Two weeks had passed since Daisy and Peach fought off the fuzzy queen and were rescued by Lady Bow. Daisy had healed from her poison, though she nearly suffering a heart attack when she awoke in the ghost mansion. She and Peach had continued to collect stray shards in the area until Mario's ankle had healed. Their ventures had been successful and strangely unhindered. Yet their quest to find Luigi had continued to come up empty handed. It truly was as though he'd disappeared from the world completely.

"I wonder how many are left?" Peach pondered aloud, tapping her cheek with her gloved hand thoughtfully. "And what shall we do with them once we have them?"

Daisy shrugged, shoving the star shards into one of the pockets of the satchel Ninjetta usually carried then slung it over her own shoulder for safe keeping. "Dunno, but I'll guard these with my life if I have to. No weird dimension-hopping baddies will get these from me!" She grinned confidently, flexing her arms to indicate her strength.

"I have absolute faith in you!" Peach added cheerfully with a nod.

Ninjetta clung to Daisy's skirt as a raucous noise suddenly overtook the previously quiet forest. The noise grew louder as the source grew closer.

"Man, it sounds like a giant fan!" Daisy fussed, pressing her hands against her ears to try to deafen the sound. She wondered what could be making such a noise, but her thoughts were interrupted repeatedly by the whirring sound followed by a high-pitched whine. Then it hit her. It was him, wasn't it? He did threaten that he would be back and he did have something that sounded like a large fan. But that whine sound was something new.

A flash of light in the distance caught her attention, and Daisy instinctively grabs both Mario and Peach, diving to the ground with them just as a massive jolt of green lightning rolled through the area. The whirring sound grew even louder until finally the source came into view. "Is that a... head?!" Daisy gawked.

"This is my brother, Brobot," Mr. L boasted over speakers installed on his Brobot. "My greatest creation in the field of brobotics. And with him, I'll become number one and finally defeat you, Mr. Hero. Have at you!"

"Graaaaah!" Daisy hissed as she stood up, straightened her dress, and shook a fist upwards towards where Brobot hovered. "What is your dealio, Mr. L?! Are ya trying to take down the whole forest?!" Though now that she thought about it, what was one forest when all connected worlds were at stake?

Mr. L scoffed. "Move, princess."

"Or what, you'll take me down too?" She stood defiantly in front of the other three, shielding them from whatever Mr. L had to throw at them.

Mr. L paused for a moment, strangely considering what his answer would be. With Mario, he wanted to beat him, to take him down, but he certainly wouldn't kill him. Where would the fun in that be? If Mario were dead, then he wouldn't come back for a rematch and the rivalry would die. That'd be boring. L thought he would simply take out anyone in his way but there was something about this stubborn golden princess that just stopped him in his tracks.

But there was also his mission. One of them was holding 15 star shards. He needed those. They all considered him the villain, they themselves the heroes. The villainous answer to Daisy's posed question would obviously be yes, but he wasn't driven to destroy them. He wasn't the villain they thought he was.

Pushing some levers down to lower settings, he began generating more electricity. He wouldn't kill her, no, but he could deliver enough of a jolt to get her out of the way. "The green thunder cannot be stopped." The cannons sparked and whined until they'd built up enough static electricity to fire off a bolt of green thunder.

Daisy swallowed hard. It was a stupid move, perhaps, but she didn't always think things through. But now that she was standing there, she couldn't just dodge and leave her friends at risk. The green lightning drew closer but as she expected an impact, something pink blocked her view. As she caught her breath, she blinked, realizing it was Peach's parasol.

Peach had stood up, opening her parasol at the last moment and placing it in front of them both. She couldn't let her best friend sacrifice herself. The lightning bounced off the parasol, scattering in the forest and striking whatever it reached first before being absorbed into the ground. A few trees split in half, driving the angry treants and other aggressive creatures away.

"I've made some upgrades to my parasol," Peach smiled brightly. It was nice to be the hero for once. "I couldn't let you sacrifice yourself. I'd be so lonely without you."

Daisy grinned. She couldn't be the hero this time, but at least she would live to see another day and protect her friends. And it was nice to see Peach take some action as well. She was often the victim, but she could also be a hero in her own right. "Well I didn't want to lose ya either."

Mario took to his feet behind the princesses, suddenly beginning to glow a golden yellow. "When he stops firing, move and take cover."

Daisy glanced back at Mario, her eyes growing wide. "What are ya plannin' to do?! That guy's firin' lightning at us! He's nutso!"

"I'm going to use the ultimate technique the fire god taught me when we were helping the BeanBean Kingdom." Mario spoke with a confidence in his eyes as he drew more energy. He was often hesitant to use such a technique, as it would only work once before he had to rest and recharge for much longer than this fight would last. It drew a great deal of energy from within and from the fire god himself. It was a borrowed technique, but its effects were devastating. He didn't want to kill Mr. L, but he certainly couldn't let that Brobot wreak havoc anymore. It had to be stopped.

Mr. L scoffed again as the cannons' blasts fizzled out. This would be more difficult than he'd thought. Mimi was right. Those princesses were a powerful force, defiant and clever. And for once, Mimi wasn't exaggerating when she said Miss Pink had a magic parasol. He leaned over to prepare firing small missiles at them in hopes to jarr that parasol out of the princess's hand and get them to move or even inadvertently reveal who had the star shards.

He glanced back through the windshield in Brobot's hat in time to see a massive red fireball arching from the ground. L scrambled for the controls, attempting to move his brother from the fireball's path, yet the fireball was far too quick, impacting the robot and causing it to overheat. It grew hotter and hotter until the metal simply split at the bolts, the engine exploding and throwing the Green Thunder from his own creation.

"Ya didn't hafta kill him!" Daisy stared at the explosion.

"I didn't want to," Mario frowned. He knew the technique to be powerful, but he didn't expect it to be _that_ powerful. Then again, it was the power of a god. "Stay here and protect the shards. I'll go see if I can find him."

"Be careful, Mario!" Peach shouted as he disappeared into the forest.

The area was quite well damaged, first by the deflected lightning, then the explosion. Mr. L hadn't managed to bail in time, the explosion forcibly ejecting him from Brobot. He'd impacted a tree, colliding with its branches before they gave way and dumped him into a bush below.

He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. His head throbbed. He ached, but he was still alive. To think Mario had that kind of power and was holding back this entire time. He had to find a way to beat that. He had to be stronger if he were to accomplish his goals.

Jamming his foot against the trunk of the tree, he freed himself from the grasp of the bush, rolling out onto the ground face down in the dirt. He pushed himself up, feeling the twinge in his shoulder as he moved and retrieved his hat.

His entire outfit were torn once again, singed in some places, others tinted with blood. He could never keep his clothes in one piece when dealing with his rival, could he? No matter. That wasn't his main concern at the moment. Those so-called heroes probably thought him dead. He could take advantage of this. He checked the device he created to attach to the palm of his hand. It was still surprisingly in one piece.

Mario stepped over a few smouldering remains of the robot. The more remains he encountered, the more certain Mario was that L had suffered some great injuries. L was on a rampage, putting too many people and the area in danger, but doubt still panged in the back of Mario's mind. He wasn't entirely convinced L was a villain. Mario had much time to ponder while recovering from his sprained ankle. The more he pondered, the more he realized that L was someone he knew well, but something had happened to this person to turn him into this state, to turn him into L.

Mario ducked for cover as a large bolt of green lightning cracked past him. Mr. L was still alive and somewhere up ahead. "Mr. L, we don't need to fight."

Mr. L scoffed somewhere up ahead. "Oh really? So you can declare yourself the victor of our little rivalry? I don't think so."

"This rivalry is getting out of hand." Mario frowned.

Mr. L fired off another bolt, seething. "I've been living in your shadow too long, Mr. Hero. It's time _I_ become number one!"

Mario frowned even more, still prostrated on the ground. If L was who Mario believed him to be, then Mario was concerned even more. "Do you truly feel you're living in my shadow?" Had he always felt this way or was this feeling something which developed by becoming Mr. L or perhaps it was what drove him to _become_ Mr. L.

"Did I stutter?!" Mr. L shouted, gritting his teeth. He was growing frustrated. He knew Mario was out there, but he wasn't entirely certain where. He drew a hand to his shoulder, attempting to stop the throbbing. He hit it hard when he landed. It would undoubtedly hurt for some time, but he wasn't going to permit it to hinder his work. He grimaced, hoping that Mario wasn't watching this. He couldn't show Mr. Hero any weakness. _Stop hurting. Stop hurting now. I have to become number one. I can't lose now._

Opening his eyes, Mr. L found himself face to face with a bright red fireball. He didn't have time to dodge, yet he did draw his left hand forward, activating the prototype forcefield shield he was still working on. The shield proved strong, preventing any damage yet the force of the attack pushed him backwards into the tree he'd landed on earlier. He hit his right shoulder, the twinge of pain nearly knocking him unconscious. He slumped against the tree, attempting to regain his bearings. He would not be taken alive. He'd fight to the death if the situation called for it.

"Mr. L."

Opening his eyes, Mr. L found Mario looming over him. He expected a direct attack, but Mario made no move to do so. There wasn't even anger in his eyes. Instead he held a hand out. Mr. L batted it away. "I don't need your pity."

Mario frowned. "You know me well enough to know I won't pity you. Please come home. Bro."

Mr. L scowled at Mario. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

His words stabbed Mario straight through the heart. Did he not remember? This couldn't be the work of some psychological transformation. This had to be something different, something much stronger. "What has happened to you?" Worry knit his brow.

Mr. L opened his mouth to shout some more, but he paused. That look. That worried look. He'd seen it before, hadn't he? No, that was impossible. They were rivals, opposites. He was pitying him, mocking him. No, that wasn't it either. Mario wasn't the pitying or mocking type. He never was. It was familiar, all of it was familiar, like some overwhelming sense of deja vu.

"I don't know what you've been told, L, but those star shards. They'll turn all the connected worlds into nothingness." Mario's brow seemed to knit in worry more than before. "I know you're not a villain. I just hope this quest of yours won't turn you into one."

Mr. L stared. There was no way the star shards could do that. They formed the Wishing Star, the only thing which could bring back the Count's lost love. For a moment, he considered that Mario was misguiding him, purposefully taking the Wishing Star for himself, as he'd been lead to believe thus far. Yet as he leaned against the tree, Mario looming over him worried, Mr. L saw no hint of malice. He truly believed that was the purpose of the star shards. One of them was being lied to.

"THE GREEN THUNDER HAS AAAARIIIIIVED!" The words rang out in the silent forest as a second L sprang forth, landing between the fallen L and Mario. "You just took out my decoy! Ohohohoho! Prepare to be beaten, Mr. Hero!"

Mr. L gaped at the second L. He had to admit Mimi's ability to mimic someone's form was astounding, but she at least should get his catchphrases right. But now wasn't the time to dispute phrasing. He knew what she was trying to do. She probably saw the explosion over the forest and had come to protect him. Her timing couldn't be worse.

Using the tree as support, Mr. L pulled himself to his feet then grabbed the fake L by the collar, pulling her backwards. "We're leaving."

"The green thunder won't leave until he's number one!" the fake L proclaimed.

"We're leaving now before you embarrass us both!" Mr. L hissed, yanking on her collar some more. Something was going on. Something big. Someone was being deceived about the true nature of the shards; he just wasn't entirely sure which side was just yet. He glanced at Mario for a moment, judging the other's reaction. Mario made no move to stop them, still wearing a worried expression.

"But!" the fake L protested. "But he..."

With a silent command, Mr. L used the device on his hand to open a portal. "Did I make it sound like a request? We're leaving now." He pushed her into the portal, following close behind. He glanced over his shoulder at Mario before closing the portal behind him.

Cracking noises behind him drew Mario's attention. The three girls had followed him, concerned, though Daisy appeared more irate than the other two. "Did you just let him go?!" She prepared to yell some more but stopped quickly when she noticed the concerned expression drawn across Mario's face. "Oh man. What happened."

"Someone's lying to him," Mario confessed. "I just hope he realizes it before it's too late."

… **.**

 **Author's musings**

The conversation I wished Mario and L had in the game. There was a lot of tension between these two, and I never thought the game touched on it enough, how L felt living in Mario's shadow, his desire to become number one, how badly he desired victory.

But his relationship with Mario is strong, so strong that it starts giving him déjà vu and that he knows, without a doubt, Mario is somehow telling the truth. No one quite knows what the true story is just yet, but someone is being lied to.

I just can't make a light-hearted story, can I?


	11. Revelations

The square-shaped squiglets scattered as a black portal manifested in the sky. Mimi stumbled out, the Mr. L disguise falling from her form. The real Mr. L followed, grabbing at his arm somewhat disoriented from the travel and everything he'd just experienced.

"Where are we?" Mimi surveyed the area, trying to find anything that looked familiar. The sky was black. The grass was a deep black with stark white flowers sprouting up. A few squiglets cowered behind a stark white tree. Castle Bleck was in the distance. They were in Bleck's world but for some reason far outside the castle. "Golly! You're mad at me, aren't you? You're going to yell at me and leave me here to walk home!"

"I'm not angry at you!" he hissed, drawing a hand to his forehead. His head still hurt from hitting that tree, his ears ringing from that explosion. "We need to talk and the walls have ears in the castle."

"There are ears on my wall?! Gross!" She stuck out her tongue.

Mr. L sighed. Idioms didn't transcend worlds, it seemed. "It's an expression. Nevermind. I-"

"Gosh, you're bleeding!" she interrupted him, grabbing for his arm. He quickly yanked it away, scowling at her. "DOOFUS! GIVE IT TO MIMI!" she hissed, grabbing it again, pleased that this time, he didn't fight her. There was a nice gash on the back of his wrist. She pulled a bow out of her hair, unwinding it and wrapping the fabric around his wrist to bandage it up. She wasn't really good at this sort of thing, but she wanted to at least help. He was appeared so incredibly defeated. He hadn't lost before.

He sighed miserably, watching her wind the fabric around his wrist. "Something's going on, some sort of massive conspiracy."

"You figured this out by nearly getting blown up?!" Mimi huffed, frowning.

"It was after that," Mr. L frowned. The conversation with Mario still sat heavily on his mind. That look that Mario had given him shook L to the core. He knew that look. He'd _seen_ it before, but he didn't know where or why. They were rivals, through and through. Mario was always the better, leaving L to live in his shadow, but Mr. L wanted to change that. He fought mercilessly to do so, careful to never kill anyone, only bring a victory.

And yet even the pain and shock of defeat was overshadowed by something even bigger. In the two encounters with Mario and his friends, Mr. L had heard the same thing. Destroying the worlds, turning them into nothingness. They were pretty convinced that was the outcome of this journey. Was it true? Was someone lying to Bleck's minions or was someone lying to Mario's friends? "I think someone might be deceiving us. Either us or them. I'm not sure, but I'm starting to think it's us."

"WHAT?!" Mimi screeched.

"Keep it down!" Mr. L hissed. He didn't need any prying ears to listen in on their conversation in case it was someone within Bleck's ranks deceiving them. "You can't tell _anyone_ about this."

"What? Why?!" Mimi fussed some more. "What's going on? Who's lying?!"

"Quiet!" Mr. L hissed again. He stared down at his wrist. If there were a traitor amongst the ranks, Mimi probably wasn't it. "The star shards may not be what we think they are. They may turn the worlds into nothingness instead of granting a wish."

Mimi stared, wide-eyed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But... it's supposed to make the Count's wish come true."

"I don't think the Count is deceiving us," Mr. L shook his head, "nor are Mr. Hero and his little posse." He had no reason to believe the Count had some insidious plan stuffed up his sleeve. That only left two others to be the traitor, if their version of the star shards was false. O'chunks was too stupid to pull this off, unless it was completely an act. L had already crossed him off the list, and that left Dimentio and Nastasia as potentials. Nastasia was the Count's right hand woman, and L knew close to nothing about Dimentio other than the clown-faced minion just deeply annoyed him. "Someone else is, which is why you can't say _anything_."

"Sh-shouldn't the Count know?!" Mimi quickly protested.

"When I find proof of who has the true prophecy, us or them, but until then," Mr. L added with emphasis, "tell _no one_ about this. If I were the traitor, then I'd kill whoever knew to cover up my plan. I need you alive, especially if..." He gritted his teeth, thinking of the worst-case scenario. If Mario could best him so easily, what chance would he have against the deceiver. "...if the deceiver catches up to me. I can't trust anyone else with this information. I need you to keep it secret and carry on like normal."

Mimi nodded slowly, unsure at first, but then soon certain she would keep everything secret. Mr. L was trusting her, and and as he seemed to trust close to no one at all, this was a big thing he was asking her to do. She nodded much more confidently this time. "You can count on Mimi."

...

The rain had shifted from a quiet hiss to a dull roar. The rain fell in sheets, dousing the forest and any smouldering Brobot remains within. Mario shielded the star shard tracker from the rain, hoping to pick up any signals nearby with no luck. The shards which once appeared on the beach now fell silent. Mario reasoned the false L had gathered them before intervening.

Tucking the device into a pocket, Mario stared silently down the pathway. His encounter with Mr. L still rattled around in his mind. What had happened to him? Was he brainwashed? Coerced? Or was he something stranger like a shadow double? It was hard to say, but he was absolutely certain Mr. L was not the enemy he appeared to be.

Daisy trudged behind the other three. She'd given up on trying to keep her dress and shoes clean. Unlike Peach, she was neither delicate nor was she skilled at walking in mud in heels. Pulling off her heels, she resorted to carrying them, feeling the mud squish between her toes as she walked.

The situation lay heavily on her mind. The more they traveled, the more grim everything felt. Sure, they had 16 shards of their own, but what if that wasn't enough to stop the return of the Dark Star, even a mini one? She had no power to stop it. Unlike Mario with his fire ability and Peach with her subtle magic, Daisy had nothing but her brute strength. She valued that strength, yet she was pretty certain she couldn't just punch a star. Maybe if it were a little star. Maybe she could punch that.

A chill ran up her spine suddenly, and Daisy whipped around, staring at the pathway behind them. The view had been obscured by the pouring rain. Trees swayed in the distance, yet all else seemed quiet. The only footprints behind her were their own, yet she was certain someone had touched her satchel.

She shook her head. It was probably the wind. A few more steps and she felt the chill again. She froze in her steps, attempting to look beside her without moving her head. This time she was absolutely certain she saw a black and white face hovering beside her. With a yelp, she turned sharply, ready to punch whatever was behind her, yet nothing was there.

"Are you alright, Daisy?" Peach turned to her troubled friend, worry tugging at her soft features.

"No, I'm not alright!" Daisy fussed. "I swear I saw something following us! It was like a black and white mask!" Her attention darted back and forth, attempting to find some sort of evidence that she wasn't crazy.

"Maybe we should find some place to rest," Peach suggested. "I think this situation is affecting us all."

Daisy gritted her teeth. "I'm not going crazy!" She huffed a sigh, staring down at the ground. Her bag caught her attention, a new snag in the seam. "Uh oh." She grabbed the bag, pulling it from her shoulder. Nearly ripping the satchel open, she found a hole in the exact spot where the star shards once sat.

"No no no no no no no!" Turning the bag upside down, she dumped the contents out into the mud. Several tanooki leaves in baggies. A mushroom shake. Lipstick. Sports tape. A box of adhesive bandages. Tissues. A pair of spare earrings. A half-eaten powerbar. A cat bell and a cape feather in baggies. A photo of Peach and Daisy as children playing. She had many useful things in her bag but it was noticeably lacking star shards.

"Oh my..." Peach gasped. Had someone really sneaked up on them and stolen the star shards without them knowing it? But who? Mr. L and the imposter L had returned home hours ago. There was the large chunky man, but he hardly seemed like the sneaking sort. Certainly it wasn't Bowser or any of his Koopa Troop. They were never the quiet sort.

"I know!" Daisy shouted. "I had _one_ job and I can't even do _that_! I don't have magic. I don't have any special powers. I don't even know how the Chai princess caused the Dark Star to shatter in the first place! I'm nothing like my ancestors! I'm just useless!" The situation _was_ getting to her, twisting her heart into a knot. She feared the worst. She missed Luigi. She felt like she was failing everyone.

With an angry huff, she threw the empty satchel at Peach. "Just go on without me! I'll find that mask and beat him up 'til he give me my shards back!" Spinning on her toes, she caught her foot on some of the baggies and promptly slipped, falling onto her face. She crumpled up looking like an inchworm ready to inch away. Pushing herself off the ground, she picked up the toy Luigi had given to her, stuffed it in her shirt, and huffed as she stormed off, not even bothering to pick up her fallen crown. "Don't even bother following me! I'll just weigh you down!"

The masked man spied from the shadows, watching Daisy storm off. He was pleased the successor of the legendary Chai princess wouldn't be a hindrance for his plans. This play would continue on as scheduled.

"Daisy!" Peach called out for her, but her friend didn't respond. She stared down at the stray things on the ground, all of Daisy's belongings. Stepping forward, she began to put all the things back into the bag, pausing to gaze at the photo with nostalgia. "Ninjetta, please look after my dear friend for me." Peach tucked the photo and Daisy's crown into the satchel.

"Of course!" Ninjetta agreed with a nod. She'd always look after Daisy, even on her reckless adventures and wild goose chases. She was Daisy's self-appointed retainer, after all. She'd follow Daisy to the ends of the World.

"We'll keep her things safe for her." Picking up the satchel and slinging it over her shoulder, Peach added as she handed Ninjetta the mushroom shake, "Contact us when she clears her head. I'm sure she'll be just fine soon enough."

The ninji nodded, clutching the shake in her arms as she hopped off down the dark path. She followed the erratic barefoot prints in the mud, hoping that Daisy hadn't gotten too far away. The forest was dark and scary. There were noises she didn't recognize and were hard to hear over the sound of the pouring rain. She wasn't the bravest but she had to put on a brave face to be there for her princess, to watch over her.

Ninjetta hopped into the clearing, finding Daisy kneeling in the mud, attempting to push it away and find the star shards. "Princess..."

"Argh! What's _wrong_ with me, Ninjetta?!" Daisy punched the mud mercilessly. That's what she was good at. Punching things. Her dress was muddy. She'd lost a shoe some ways back. Her gloves were caked in mud. "I'm not mad at them, and I drove them away! I just... I wanted to be the hero, to save everyone from this Dark Star. Maybe... maybe I'm not that different from Mr. L after all."

She could understand how he felt all too well. Mario informed the princesses that he'd talked to L, attempted to steer him off his path of destruction. She'd pegged Mr. L wrong. It was just like Peach and Mario said after the battle near the waterfall. He wasn't a villain. He had some self-proclaimed rivalry with Mario, but she knew others like that. Waluigi was like that with Luigi. It happened.

Yet what hit her more was that Mario was absolutely convinced Mr. L had been brainwashed or at least severely misguided. He was also convinced Mr. L was someone they all knew. That idea explained that overwhelming sense of familiarity she had when she saw him.

She shook her head. Why was she thinking about Mr. L at a time like this? The world ending should probably be a greater concern. She didn't know how many star shards the opposition had now or how many there were in total. She didn't remember any mention of it in the storybooks, just that the Chai princess Dahlia had broken the star apart with magic.

She felt Ninjetta lean against her. Daisy wrapped her arm around her ninji retainer, pulling her closer. "I don't know how you put up with me."

"You make it sound so terrible," Ninjetta protested, offering the mushroom shake to Daisy. "When we fled our original home, I lost everything. You were always so nice to us, taking us ninji in when we had nowhere else to go. I made it my life's purpose to always stay by your side and show you the kindness you showed us."

Daisy sighed, shaking her head. "Aw man, you're gonna make me cry." She hadn't thought much about when she opened the gates of Sarasaland to the pidgit and ninji refugees. They made their home in Sarasaland, the ninji taking to Chai and the pidgit taking to the desert Birabuto Kingdom. She did what she thought was right at the time. Maybe she couldn't save the world like Princess Dahlia could, but she could protect those who called her land their home. She could save their world.

She pushed herself to her feet, careful not to crush the mushroom shake or Ninjetta in the process. "Alright, Ninjetta! Let's go home! It's time for research. There must be something in the history books and that legend that we're missing!"

The two intrepid travelers trudged through the mud with great fervor, yet by the time they reached the edge of the Chai Kingdom, the two were exhausted. The rain and the mud weighed them down before they reached even the closest warp pipe. Daisy collapsed to her knees, running a hand through her hair. She'd discarded her mud-caked gloves somewhere within the forest. "I... I think we have time to get some brain food."

She thumbed at the nearby building, a restaurant nestled in the middle of the bamboo forest along the primary road within Chai. The forest covered a good portion of Chai, many businesses springing up along the large road since the mass migration into the kingdom after Mario chased Tatanga away. This particular restaurant, the Bamboo Pipe, was a favorite of hers. She'd taken Luigi to it before on one of her not-exactly-a-date times to get soup.

Ninjetta flopped down, leaning against Daisy. While she didn't have the layers of dress to weigh her down like her princess did, the ninji was still caked in mud and soaked from the rain. Thankfully when they finally reached Chai, the sun was shining. Unfortunately that also caked the mud to her skin. She nodded wearily. "Y-yes that's a great idea, princess."

The restaurant quickly snagged Daisy's attention as several ninji hop frantically from the front door. One of the ninji dressed in a yellow wrapped shirt decorated with flowers hopped frantically towards Daisy. "Princess! Princess! Just the person we need!"

Daisy frowned. She feared for the worst. Sarasaland was generally considered a sanctuary, a place that few of the World's villains ever seemed to go. Her land was peaceful and rarely did people run in a panic. Exhausted as she may be, only surviving on half a mushroom shake as she gave the other half to Ninjetta, she'd simply have to fight to protect her home. She did punch very well, after all. "What's going on?"

"Th-that guy from the newspaper is here!" The ninji frantically pointed at the restaurant. "That phantom thief!"

"Mr. L?! Here?!" Daisy stared at the ninji. What was that guy doing _here_ of all places?!

… **.**

 **Author's musings**

Daisy is, and probably always will be, one of my favorite characters to write. I like to think under that tough, punching exterior, there's a deeper side to her that only her friends see. Ninjetta is this balancing force that is always at her side in my fanfictions, this loyal ninji who sticks by Daisy's side, even at the worst of times.

Sarasaland itself really doesn't have a lot of lore and is barely mentioned after _Super Mario Land_. It's kind of forgotten, just listed as Daisy's home. The kingdoms mentioned are from _SML_ , and I tend to break them up like they were in the game. Some of my favorite enemies have migrated there to live normal, ordinary lives.

Also I have a thing for putting power up items in plastic baggies. I think it's hilarious and convenient.


	12. Soup and truth

Daisy stared at the restaurant host, then at the restaurant, then back to him. The ninji looked absolutely shaken. Why was Mr. L there? She didn't see any signs of fighting. Mario wasn't anywhere near Sarasaland, as far as she knew, and the building was still standing. "What is he even doing?!"

"I-I don't get it!" the ninji stammered. "He just walked in and ordered soup and sat down glaring at the customers!"

"He's... just sitting there?" Daisy stared at him, absolutely baffled. She glanced at Ninjetta, who simply shrugged, completely dumbstruck too. He was sitting there, just eating soup. The thought baffled her. She wasn't entirely sure where Mr. L came from, yet the conversation Mario had with her in the forest still lay fresh in her mind. Mr. L was someone they knew. That meant he was from somewhere _here_ in the Mushroom World. Humans weren't as common as some of the species throughout the World but they did live quite a number of places. Yet if Mario knew him, he probably originated from the Mushroom Kingdom or Sarasaland.

But why would the masked phantom thief from the newspapers be sitting in a restaurant ordering soup? Well he must be hungry, so why else? And with him eating soup, perhaps she had a prime opportunity on her hands, something she could do to help curb this battle for the star shards into the favor of surviving.

Daisy took to her feet, giving up on properly straightening out her dress, though it was caked in mud and leaves. Leaves stuck to her hair. Her bare feet were caked in dried mud. She looked a mess. She was never the proper sort like Peach who could go through a hurricane and come out looking perfect. No, she was the tomboyish hands-on sort where she didn't mind getting dirty. "I'm gonna go talk to him, give him a piece of my mind. C'mon, Ninjetta."

Daisy picked up her mud-soaked dress in one hand, pushing the door open with another. Finding Mr. L in the tall backed booths wasn't hard at all. The patrons had all situated themselves to one side, staring across to the mostly empty opposite side. She strode in, the floor feeling cold on her feet as she tracked mud across it.

Mr. L had taken a seat near the back, alone with a large bowl of mushroom and bamboo soup. He sat with his back to the door and an odd device on the table. Daisy boldly sat down across from him, her muddy dress spread out across the seat. She leaned forward, propping herself up with her elbows and her hands knit beneath her chin, staring at Mr. L intently. "What are ya doin' here, Mr. Phantom Thief, hmmm?"

He looked up from his soup, a rather unimpressed, marginally annoyed expression drawn across his masked features. He had some bandages on his shoulder, giving his sleeve a rather puffy look. Mimi's bowtie was still tied around his wrist, hidden by his sleeve. "What does it look like I'm doing, sightseeing?"

She stared at him for a moment, then down at the soup. Mushroom and bamboo soup. Luigi usually got that soup when the two of them visited the restaurant. She glanced back up at him, getting that strange feeling of familiarity again. Just who was he underneath the mask? "Mario's not here."

"Is that all you have to say?" Mr. L frowned, shooing her off with his hand. "If so, L-ater."

"That is _not_ all I have to say!" Daisy shouted, slamming her hands down at the table and standing up as far as the table in between them would permit. "We're gonna talk _right now_ , 'cuz we have a lot at stake and I'm not willin' to let it go all to hell."

He slurped up another spoonful of soup, observing her face carefully. She was heated up, but she always seemed to be that way around him. Understandably so, if Mario's version of the legend were believed to be true. No doubt Mario had already told his posse about the conversation in the forest before Mimi interrupted them, though he did find it curious they had since split ways. "If you're going to give me some sort of lecture, I don't want to hear it."

She realized her stance was forceful, but she knew Mr. L was a powerful force. Just punching him in the face wouldn't work. He had powerful technology at his disposal. She was adept at shouting, however. "I can shout at you all I want. Ya tried to _kill_ us!"

"I did no such thing," Mr. L scoffed.

Daisy puffed up angrily, reaching across the table and yanking on his green neck scarf to pull him closer. "Then what the hell _were_ you trying to do? Fry us?"

"I tried to get you to _move_ ," he corrected, glaring down his nose at her. "That jolt was barely enough to harm you. It would've felt like you dragged your feet across a carpet then touched a doorknob and make your hair stand on end."

"How does static knock down trees?!" It didn't make sense to her. He had to be lying. That bolt was huge and it cracked several trees in half.

A smirk tugged at the edge of his features. While he may have not won his battle with Mario, he certainly did leave quite an impression. "You'd be surprised what a little green thunder can do. Besides," he drew a hand up, wrapping his fingers around her delicate chin, "I'm a gentleman thief, not some mindless murderer. I could easily steal a kiss from you right now."

"Ugh! Gross!" she fussed, taking her hand and pushing him backwards into the booth seat. She flopped back into hers, taking a hand to her face. She could feel her face flushing red. Why was she blushing? This wasn't Luigi. This was Mr. L. She didn't have a thing for thieves, only that cowardly loveable hero. "You're really skeevy, yanno?!"

There was something which felt so familiar about being that close to her, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Since his battle with Mario in the forest, he'd had this overwhelming sense of deja vu almost constantly. He couldn't shake it. He leaned back in the booth, folding his arms, his smirk contradicting his inner turmoil. "I got you to let me go, didn't I?"

"Ugh!" she scoffed, pretending she wasn't blushing. She tucked her hands back next to her, folding her arms across her body, mimicking him. "Fine. Let's move on. Tell me what you plan to do with those star shards. What exactly do you think they actually _do?!_ "

"The question is, what do _you_ think they do?" he turned the question back at her. He wanted to know what she knew about the prophecy. He had to find a new lead to follow to uncover the truth.

"What do you mean, 'what do I think'?!" she mocked him by attempting to lower her voice to match his tone. "There is a lot at stake here, and I'd _prefer_ that my world stays right where it is."

"And what exactly makes you think it won't?" His tone fell to something more serious, the smirk falling from his features. He untucked a hand to stir at what remained of his soup.

"Because the star shards _originated_ from the Chai Kingdom. Right. Here." She jabbed the table with her index finger with each emphasized word to prove a point. "Everyone here knows it. We all thought it was just some legend until you and that weird mimic started showing up. I know you two are working together."

"You don't need to worry about her," Mr. L countered quickly. Mimi had withdrawn from the battlefront in the Mushroom Kingdom, leaving Mr. L to do all the work in the area and hopefully uncover whatever truth lie behind the prophecy they both knew. "Tell me about this legend. Tell me."

"Wait," Daisy blinked at him, her finger still pressing against the table, "you aren't gonna fight me?"

Mr. L offered her a rather serious look. "One of us is being lied to about these star shards. I want to know who knows the true prophecy."

"Prophecy?" Daisy scoffed. "There is no prophecy. Whoever told you there is one is obviously lying."

He stared at her flatly. "Prove it. I want undeniable evidence." If the star shards really did originate in Sarasaland, then she would undoubtedly have something to disprove the prophecy he knew. He couldn't simply go to the Count to retell a legend. Kidnapping her to take her to the Count to prove the prophecy false was also out of the question. He would be putting everything on the line by going forward. He had to have something tangible and absolutely undeniable. He would be implicating someone in this, either Nastasia or Dimentio, and he didn't want to accuse the wrong one.

Daisy scoffed again. "That's easy. 20 minutes. Meet me at my castle. It'll just be you, me, and Ninjetta." She jabbed a finger at the ninji who had busied herself with hiding at the side of the booth. "No one else. You'll have your undeniable evidence." She pushed herself out of the booth, her heavy mud-soaked skirt falling awkwardly as she stood. She may not have the power her ancestors once did, but she had the smarts. She knew exactly how to prove to him that he was being deceived.

Everything Mario said was matching up. Mr. L wasn't the villain she thought he was, though she wasn't entirely convinced his lightning cannon wouldn't have done more than make their hair stand up. Mr. L was being lied to. There was no prophecy, only a tale of a time long ago. Someone had fabricated something so elaborate that multiple people were involved in this. Not just Mr. L and that weird mimic. Maybe that chunky brutish guy too and possibly even more beyond that. There was always some sort of boss or king involved, and by demanding proof, Mr. L was undoubtedly going to try to disprove the prophecy to whoever commanded him. Unless the commander was the conspirator, then he was screwed.

"Don't be late," she jabbed a finger at him, "and don't destroy any part of my home. If you even touch my people, I am going to break every bone in your body. Got it?"

She drove a hard bargain, yet he had no intention of harming anyone here. The Mushroom World was still his home, and he was strangely fond of Sarasaland and its variety, perhaps fonder of it than the Mushroom Kingdom itself. If he lost his home, then he'd be number one of nothing. That would hardly be enjoyable. He simply offered a nod accompanied by a slight smirk.

Daisy huffed. What a frustrating man. Picking up the edges of her dress, she strode out of the restaurant, nearly slipping on the mud she'd tracked in. She'd save this world _her_ way.

… **..**

 **Author's ramblings**

One of several scenes that inspired this story. While Daisy wasn't in the original _Super Paper Mario_ , I like having her as a prominent character. She really gets backburnered a lot. So here, like with my other Mario fanfic, Daisy is doing her best to be the hero. She isn't like Mario or Peach. She does things her own way, and apparently it is verbally manhandling L in a booth in a restaurant.

I see L as being not only a total douche, but also intelligent and just a bit sleezy. A gentleman thief who steals a kiss. So suave….

I had actually considered having him kidnap Daisy, but following an undeniable proof seemed more his style.


	13. Betrayal

There was a sense of familiarity as Mr. L stepped into the entryway of the castle. It had an elegant feel, decorated in high regalia colored in mostly orange and gold. The runner leading from the entrance inward was a brocade of green and white flowers set on a golden background. It was currently caked in mud at the entrance. The mud trail veered off to the side and onto the stone floors to keep the runner from getting too dirty. Several ninji wearing orange bowties attempted to mop up the mess but scampered off once Mr. L came into sight.

"You're on time. Good." Daisy stepped forward through the curtained entrance. She'd ditched her muddied dress in favor of her tennis dress, a short golden sleeveless dress with orange scallops on the bottom. She still had mud caked in her hair, though she seemed to pay it no mind. She managed to wash her feet and shove them into a pair of sneakers before meeting up with her visitor.

"This way." She jerked her head to indicate he should follow her as she turned and exited through the curtains.

He stood out as a stark contrast compared to the rest of the decor. He stared at her back, that overwhelming sense of deja vu striking him again. He felt as though he'd watched her often from afar, playing tennis and golf and volleyball but never joining in himself. He thoughtlessly poured his faith into her words, perhaps against his better judgment, hoping she wasn't leading him straight into some trap. The device he carried with him remained silent, not picking up any signs of extra star shards, only the ones he himself held. He hadn't noticed the extra dot on the radar indicating Daisy had one on her, the goomba shoe toy stuffed into her shirt.

She pushed open a pair of ornate wooden doors with flowers carved into them. Before them laid out a long, expansive dining hall. In the center, a long, rectangular table with dozens of chairs set out. On the table was a long runner matching the one in the hallway on a smaller scale. The centerpieces on the table were freshly picked flowers of all kind from Daisy's personal garden.

Daisy pointed to several of the banners hanging on the walls. They were highly decorative and intricately embroidered, displaying some sort of scene on each panel.

"This first banner shows the Chai Kingdom as it was a long time ago. Peaceful, serene, and filled with life." She indicated the banner, which was decorated with a bright smiling sun at the top with some fluffy clouds. Peaceful goombos and a princess wearing a bright yellow with curled brown hair frolicked in a garden filled with bamboo and several types of flowers.

"Then," she indicated the second banner, "a dimensional witch came to the World. He brought with him a dark star." The second banner showed the princess from the first one standing on the ground at the bottom with a mysterious figure at the top wearing an odd purple and white-striped robe, his face painted completely blue with no facial features. The figure had his arms up, an ominous star between his hands. Dark blues and purples radiated from his form.

Mr. L stared at the banner. That form at the top looked oddly familiar, almost as if he were a blend of Dimentio and Nastasia's attire. "Who is he? That dimensional witch?"

Daisy shrugged with a frown. "No one exactly knows. He's just described as a masked villain. No one's entirely sure where he came from or where he went, just that he brought the dark star with him. Given that this story happened some thousand years ago, he's long since dead, no doubt."

Mr. L narrowed his eyes at the embroidered figure. He didn't like the way this person looked.

"The dark star was wreaking havoc," Daisy continued. "No one could quite stop it. The witch threatened to turn all the connected worlds into nothingness. But the Chai princess Dahlia summoned a great power and shattered the star."

The next tapestry showed the same princess holding her arms out, a daisy brooch in between her hands. The brooch emitted a colorful light, beaming out in all directions. At the top was the dark star, now broken into pieces. The witch was also noticeably absent.

"Some say the star shards scattered not only on this world but on all connected worlds," Daisy pointed at the last tapestry, which was bright and cheery like the first one, but at the top were star shards shooting out in all directions. "Princess Dahlia was a real princess, one of my great ancestors, but until this mess all started, I just thought it was some legend to tell the origins of our kingdom's emblem." She tapped her own daisy brooch.

Mr. L stared at all the tapestries. This was the undeniable proof he sought about true nature of the star. He wasn't entirely sure how he could present this information to the count, however. He probably could just take the tapestries and bring them back later, but carrying those would be a huge hassle. Each one had to be at least 20 feet tall. A pity Brobot was in pieces. He could've carried those. "And no prophecy?"

Daisy shook her head. "Nope. Not even a warning of what would happen if the shards came together, but it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." She huffed a sigh. She knew that the shards would soon come together and she had no idea how to stop it. If this daisy brooch had some sort of power to it, then there had be a way to harness it.

She turned as Ninjetta came hopping through the doorway, clutching a book to her chest. She hopped as far as she could away from Mr. L before nearly clinging to the back of her princess. Daisy wasn't wearing her long dress, so there wasn't much to hide behind.

Daisy knelt down, taking the offered book from the ninji. "Thanks, Ninjetta." She offered the Ninji a pat on the head before standing back up and offering the book to Mr. L. "Here, your undeniable proof, since I'm not lettin' you take my tapestries. The entire story both written and drawn. It's got more drawings in it than these tapestries have. Ya might find a better drawing of that witch in there. It's a copy of the original book so ya can take it with you."

Mr. L stared at the book in his hands. The cover looked identical to the one the Count read from and carried with him everywhere. This was the proof he needed, the actual truth of these star shards. The count had to know someone was deceiving him, possibly some descendant of the dimensional witch. The tapestry witch bore a resemblance to both Dimentio and Nastasia, both of whom L suspected as a traitor.

Mr. L tucked the book under his arm. Grabbing one of Daisy's hands, he placed into it the star shards he'd retrieved from Sarasaland. "I was never here." He turned and headed back out the entrance, not even bothering to spout a catchphrase. This was serious news. If the worlds were all destroyed, this world and even Castle Bleck would be turned into nothingness. They were all being deceived and it was nearing the point of no return. If this weren't stopped, there would be no Mushroom World, no Mario for a rivalry, no Castle Bleck nor the Count to serve, nothing. Everything would become nothing.

"Do you think he'll try to stop this Dark Star, Princess?" Ninjetta peered up at her liege.

Daisy frowned. "I think so. I just hope it's not too late. This is really our last chance at saving the worlds." To think the fate of the worlds was resting on this gentleman thief. Hopefully whoever he planned on showing that book to would believe him enough to stop the path to destruction.

But at least he'd given her some collateral, probably some of the last shards that hadn't been collected yet. And she still had the toy Luigi had made her. Even if they somehow did summon the Dark Star, it would never be complete. Hopefully at the very least it would be enough to keep the Star from turning everything into nothingness.

Mr. L hadn't traveled far from Daisy's castle, retreating into the bamboo forest. Some ways in and off the main road lay a small meadow. The meadow was empty, no residents to be seen. The meadow itself was small, round, and covered with grass. Bamboo shot up in all directions around it, blocking most of the view of the mountains in the distance. A few brick blocks hung in the air on the far side of the meadow, but little else existed there.

Taking to the brick blocks on the far end, Mr. L perched himself upon them, cracking open the book. If he was going to bring this evidence to the Count, he wanted to be absolutely sure he had read it first. The book detailed more of the story Daisy had recounted. Several sketches and drawings accompanied the pages, showing how the Chai Kingdom looked during the time of the story. It didn't look much different from present day, though it seemed to have more fields of daisies and an abundance of blocks and pipes. More sketches showed the residents. He wasn't necessarily interested in them.

As he flipped more pages, the drawings became darker and darker as the Dark Star finally appeared in the sky. Black, angry clouds had taken over the happy white ones and the happy sun in the sky. The sky itself turned an eerie deep blue. Shadows cast over the land. The book detailed several attempts at thwarting the Dark Star, several of which involved shooting a cannon at it.

Finally, he found the story of Princess Dahlia's attempt. There was more to the encounter than Daisy had detailed. Dahlia attempted to plead with the Dark Star, at first believing it sentient, but her words reached no one and the Star continued its destruction. Several parallel worlds were believed to be lost, turned into nothingness.

He flipped a page and nearly dropped the book. The page described in full detail the appearance of the dimensional witch, including how he traveled through a dark swirling portal to arrive in Dahlia's castle. He flipped another page. Several drawings followed the description, showing exactly who the witch was. Some of the drawings were in watercolor but the one done in pastels showed the witch in the greatest clarity. There was no longer doubt of the witch's identity. The traitor wasn't the witch's descendant. It was the witch himself.

Mr. L shut the book, tucking it under his arm as he took to his feet. There was no time to finish the book. He had to seek an audience with the Count before it was too late. Raising his hand, he faced the palm outward to summon a portal home. Time was of the essence. This couldn't wait.

Yet as the portal began to form, the device cracked in half, causing L to rear in pain as it nearly burnt into his hand. Dropping the book, he attempted to yank the device off his hand. He'd have to find another means back to Castle Bleck. There was more than one way home.

Hopping off the bricks, he searched for the book he'd dropped. He couldn't lose the evidence, and he'd feel dumb returning to Daisy, requesting another copy.

"Looking for this~?"

Mr. L whipped around, coming face to face with the last person he wanted to see. "Dimentio!" he hissed.

The masked man stood about Mr. L's height, though his wild headdress made him appear much taller. For once, he stood both feet on the ground. Head to toe, his body was covered in clothing and odd, poorly matched attire. His face was either painted or he just plain looked like he wore a theatrical mask naturally with a smile permanently plastered on his face. In his black gloved hand, he held the undeniable evidence.

"Tsk tsk. Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." Dimentio floated backwards and out of L's range as the thief attempted to steal the evidence back.

"You filthy traitor!" L hissed again, attempting to grab the book once more but missing as Dimentio simply flipped out of existence momentarily then back into existence behind Mr. L.

"I cannot be a traitor if I was never loyal, dear L." Placing his hand on L's back, firing off a rather large ball of black energy and sending L flying into the nearby bamboo.

The impact had cracked several of them, ensnaring him and attempting to hinder his movements, but L managed to straighten himself out. His shoulder twanged, the pain shooting up his arm and radiating across his back. He wasn't in a condition to fight. He hadn't recovered from his battle with Mario earlier that day, but he reasoned Dimentio already knew that given that he'd attacked L exactly on that shoulder. That arm was essentially useless, but he still had one more. "I'm going to destroy you and take back my book!" L fired off several balls of green lightning, only to frown as Dimentio simply phased in and out to avoid them.

"I am a master of dimensions, dear L," Dimentio jeered. "You are way out of your league. It's time to close the curtain on this act."

...

"Don't be mad, princess. I called them." Ninjetta cowered as Mario and Peach arrived in the boardroom.

Daisy hadn't moved in the few hours since L had left, pouring through a copy of the legend. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, pouring through the large windows behind her. She sat at the dining table, her feet propped up on it as she leaned back in the chair, the large book on her lap. The star shards L had given her sat shining on the table by her feet.

"Don't be angry with her," Peach offered a soft smile. "I asked her to call me."

"I'm not mad," Daisy quickly countered, pulling her feet off the table and placing the book in their stead. "I'm kinda glad, actually. I..." she paused as she noticed Mario and Peach staring at the star shards, now that Daisy's legs weren't blocking them. "I had an unusual guest. He gave me those."

"Mr. L?" Mario blinked. He wasn't expecting L to move since their conversation.

She attempted to avoid the question, since L had asked her not to say anything, but it was hard not to at least nod. "I told him about the legend, I gave him a book as 'undeniable evidence', as he called it. He gave me these in return. I think they're the last ones."

"He realized someone was lying to him," Mario nodded. "I told him the same thing. I'm glad he understood that before it was too late."

Daisy nodded, though with a somewhat uncertain look. "I'm hoping this stupid Star can't be summoned partially. I can't find anything in this book about it. Nor can I really find much about how to use my ancestor's power, more than some 'follow your heart' nonsense. I-"

The sounds of an explosion interrupted her words. Another one soon followed. "Is it too late?!" Quickly she stared out the window behind her. The sky appeared as it usually did in the late afternoon. The sun lay low in the sky. Some happy clouds floated by. The sky had begun to change varying colors. There were no signs of the Dark Star, as detailed by the art and words in the book.

Setting the book on the table, Daisy dashed out the hall entrance, Ninjetta frantically hopping behind her. Mario and Peach soon followed the two outside. Another explosion fired off, several bamboo fell over in a large puff of smoke.

"It's nearby!" Daisy shouted, leaping across the street and into the forest. They were sounds of battle, and if Mr. L was the cause, she'd give him a piece of her mind. He promised not to destroy her kingdom and she was going to ensure he didn't. She paused mid step as she saw the familiar black-clad form crash into some bamboo in front of her. He got to his feet, staggering as he threw several balls of lightning.

Daisy reached the clearing. The scenario didn't make any sense. Mr. L looked as though he'd been through battle, his clothing torn with some blood streaking down his face, and yet no one else was there. "I thought I told you not to destroy my home!" she hissed.

Mr. L's attention darted about, searching for that sneaky magician. This fight would have concluded well before if Dimentio had stayed in this dimension, yet what was L truly expecting some masterful witch to do? Daisy's voice jarred him from his thoughts, and he whipped around, staring at her surprised. "Get out of here right now!"

Taking advantage of the surprising situation, Dimentio phased in, wrapping his arms around L, trapping him in a dimensional pane. "Oh wonderful. How I do enjoy an audience."

… **.**

 **Author's notes:**

A bit of a long chapter, but important! L finally learns the truth, only to be thwarted by Dimentio, that douchebag. He's caught L and now has an audience. Nothing good can come of this.

The scenery for the bamboo thicket is a blend of historical Asian action films (that always seem to involve bamboo thickets) with touches of the Mushroom World aesthetic. In the original Super Mario Land, where you actually go through Sarasaland, the Chai Kingdom is based on China, with accents of bamboo and other aesthetics. So naturally I had to have a bamboo thicket. I almost had the fight take to the tops of the bamboo but it seemed ridiculous, even for this story.


	14. Of actors and playwrights

"How I do love an audience," Dimentio hummed as he wrapped his arms around L, trapping the masked man in a dimensional pane. A broad smile spanned the magician's two-toned face as he chuckled, watching the audience grow larger and larger. "All the key players are here. Perhaps it is time to close this act and put an end to this masquerade."

Mr. L had taken quite a beating. Much of the bamboo around the small clearing had been knocked down in his one-sided fight with Dimentio. He had barely seen the magician since his arrival as one of Bleck's minions, speaking to him only once in the kitchen. L had believed himself superior to the traitor, but he was quickly proven wrong, once again finding himself on the losing end of a battle. His body hurt, his shoulder screamed at him, and yet he still attempted to free himself from this invisible bind Dimentio had put on him. "Traitor! You deceived us all!"

Daisy stared. It was like looking at one of the drawings in the book come to life. "The dimensional witch. I don't believe it." He was standing there, right in front of them. His presence was almost terrifying. He'd overtaken Mr. L so easily. What chance did she have against him? No, she had to stay strong.

"I like to think of myself as the playwright to the greatest story ever told," Dimentio corrected with a chiding tone. With one arm still wrapped threateningly around Mr. L's shoulder, Dimentio flipped the book L had back into existence. He nearly laughed as Mr. L attempted to squirm free and retrieve the book.

"This was simply a prototype to my masterful play. I was such an ameteur playwright back then, unable to predict the actors in my play." Princess Dahlia's power was unexpected. He was surprised and appalled by her strength, labeling her the villain of his story. She interfered with his masterful plans to rewrite the worlds. They were unworthy of existing. They had to be rewritten in the proper, good way.

With a playful laugh, he phased the book back out of existence. "Then I learned of the Count and his desperate search for his long lost love. I only found the Count useful, if not wholly insufferable with his grand dreams and even greater naivety. I only tolerated servitude to him so he could do the work for me. Everything fell into place so well."

"You're full of yourself, Mr. Traitor." Mr. L gritted his teeth as his undeniable evidence simply disappeared. He went through so much trouble to finally uncover the truth, a truth he may never be capable of revealing to the Count.

Dimentio chortled. "You're certainly one to talk, dear L. But," he flourished his now empty hand emphatically, "I wrote you to be that way."

Mr. L scoffed. "I don't answer to juniors like you."

"Then tell me," Dimentio continued, "why don't you remember anything before a month ago, hmm?"

L paused, gaping. He never really dwelled on the gap in memories. His only purpose was to serve the Count and become the vessel for the Wishing Star, but the latter purpose had been shattered when the lie came to light. And yet now that he considered it, why _didn't_ he remember? Was that the source of the overwhelming sense of deja vu he'd experienced from his last encounter with Mario that morning?

"The answer is actually quite simple, dear L." Raising his hands outward dramatically, Dimentio twirled on one foot, far too delighted to reveal the mysteries of his greatest play. "Until a month ago, you didn't exist. Mr. L isn't real. He's simply one of the greatest characters I've ever written."

"That's... that's impossible!" Yet even as he spoke the words, L wasn't sure he believed it. What if he truly was a lie himself? He turned his attention to the audience, staring particularly at Mario as he recalled their conversation in the pouring rain. Mario had asked L what happened, offering for him to come home. Did he realize this lie before even L himself did?

Daisy was quickly growing irritated. This dimensional witch was a menace. And as annoying as L could be, he didn't deserve this. While Dimentio had his back turned, Daisy leapt forward, attempting to grab L's arm and pull him free.

Dimentio phased out and back into this dimension, leaning forward and pushing his face into hers just enough to cause her to feel horribly uncomfortable. "That won't work, dear."

She took a swing at him, fuming as he phased out of her range. "Everyone deserves to exist!"

Dimentio phased in and out of the dimension, leading Daisy in a huge circle around the clearing. "Oh he does exist," he corrected her, taunting her by drawing near then phasing to a farther location. "The actor has simply forgotten his existence. Nastasia did such an excellent job with you, following my 'prophecy' to the letter." He laughed coyly as he taunted Daisy some more.

Nastasia was in on this too? Had he been correct in suspecting two people? No, L had no reason to suspect the Count's right hand. She was simply following the prophecy, not realizing it was false. She was psychic, but she couldn't see through Dimentio's games. He was good. Too good. L considered somehow using that arrogance to his advantage, but that needed to wait until he could free himself. And yet even if he couldn't, L had a backup plan. Mimi also knew about the possible betrayal, and Daisy had the remaining shards in her possession. There were more people involved than perhaps Dimentio realized. He couldn't control everything.

As Dimentio was distracted, Peach and Mario stepped forward, attempting to free Mr. L. Their attempts were in vain, as instead of grabbing L, they were touching some sort of invisible wall. Mario relentlessly hit his hand on the wall, attempting to break it. He had to save him, even if he couldn't remember.

At her last swing, Daisy missed but suddenly found herself transported back to her original location, along with Mario, Peach, and Ninjetta. "What the fungus?!" She glanced down. Her brooch was missing from her dress. He'd _touched_ her. She felt so violated and so angry.

"I am a master of dimensions, successor to Chai," Dimentio chided, floating to his original spot beside the imprisoned L with the daisy brooch in one hand. "I once thought you a threat, but I see you have forgotten the true power of your ancestors. A pleasant surprise." He flourished his hand before his rather broad, taunting grin. "I had even chosen the actor myself, the one to become the great Mr. L to weaken you."

"What are you blabbering about!?" Daisy hissed. He wasn't wrong. She didn't know the power the Chai princess used. There was no record of how it worked, how to perform it again, or if it was even possible to do a second time. The brooch on her chest was just an accessory, a now _missing_ accessory. She stepped forward once more, colliding with an invisible wall.

Mario stepped forward, pressing a hand against the wall. He'd already bloodied it, attempting to free L, but that didn't stop him. He hit the wall again. "L..."

Wrapping an arm around L once more, Dimentio pulled off L's cap, tossing it aside. "You see, the challenge of choosing the right actor is to find someone weak and influenceable."

"He's not weak!" Mario hissed. "He never was!"

The two princesses stared at Mario's outburst, though Dimentio simply laughed loudly. "Of course you would recognize this actor! I would expect nothing from the so-called hero of the Mushroom World."

He placed a hand on Mr. L's face, causing the mask to simply phase out of existence. Mr. L attempted to hide his face but turning away was nearly impossible given lack of mobility from being trapped in the dimensional pane.

"Luigi?!" Daisy shouted, wide-eyed. She dashed forward, forgetting the wall was there until she collided with it. Huffing, she attempted to ram it with her shoulder. It was all making sense. She should have realized it when he was so close to her. It was that feeling she got when Luigi was close, that pitter patter of her heart, that cold tingle as goosebumps covered her arms. It was him this whole time and she'd said all those awful things to him. "Luigi! Hold on! We'll save you!"

Dimentio laughed loudly once again. "You see? That's just it. He's so afraid and insecure, that you always have to save him. I simply had his fear removed so he could act his best and become the star of the show. Literally. But there was a problem, wasn't there, dear L?" Dimentio wrapped his arm around L once more, his grin growing more haunting. "The actor began to bleed into the character. The problem with a true genius. There are some things even the strongest of brainwashing cannot remove."

Mr. L simply stared. Everything was a lie. His existence, his origins, even his initiative. Brobot wasn't his brother. Mario was? Was Mr. L truly Mr. Playernumber2 that they'd been searching for? But it made sense, especially why L could never truly defeat Mario. He'd never win. He'd always be player two. "It's all a lie..."

"The character should never break the fourth wall," Dimentio chided. "I thought you truly could become something more than a benchwarmer. But it seems you've used up your usefulness. You see the prophecy wasn't completely falsified.

Dimentio ran a finger across L's chin, sad his work was failing. But truly now that L had snooped around, successfully learning that the prophecy was false and planning on exposing the entire thing, Mr. L in his current state was no longer useful. He was too smart for his own good. The ending to the greatest play of all time would simply have to be rewritten. "The man in green _could_ become the vessel for the reborn star, but only if he were free of fear. A pity your own weakness is returning. As great of an actor as you are, you will always be nothing more than second choice."

Fearing for the worst, Mario rammed his shoulder into the dimensional wall once again. He had to save his brother, even if he couldn't remember. He couldn't lose his only family.

L's entire world had come crashing down on him. Most of what Dimentio had said was true. He was forever second player, always cursed to be second best, living in the shadows of the great people before him. Yet Dimentio was wrong about one thing. He wasn't afraid. He was sad, sad to hear the grim reality of who he was underneath, sad that his entire existence was one huge lie. He believed himself to be the best, working to _become_ the best minion Count Bleck had ever had. He wanted to be number one so badly that his defeat at Mario's hand had shattered his entire motivation and perhaps whatever brainwashing had been done to create him. It was at that point L began to realize something was wrong and that overwhelming sense of deja vu began to eat at him.

"But now, it's time to ensure the final act will proceed as written," Dimentio grinned even wider. The two princesses and Mario were a great threat to his plans. L's interactions with them had destroyed the created character, causing the actor's will to blend with the character's. Daisy had a legacy, if she could figure it out. And Peach. She was a bit of a mystery, but she held quite a bit of power on this world. She could grow to be a threat.

Even with his power, if they found a way to counter the Dark Star once again, Dimentio's grand play would end poorly for him. He'd simply have to have a little insurance to keep their noses out of his plans. "It's time to close this scene in tragedy."

Peach stared in horror as Dimentio positioned himself to kill Luigi. He may not remember them, but he was still Luigi. She couldn't bear to lose him either. Mario and Daisy's desperate attempts to break down the wall were failing, but there was a possible alternate plan. "Stand back. I'm going to try something."

As the two moved, she took her parasol in both hands, swinging it like a baseball bat into the invisible wall. She could feel the impact reverberate in her arms. It hurt, but her heart hurt more. She could see the pain on Mario's face. She understood what he felt. If Daisy were at risk of being killed, she'd react the exact same way.

She struck the wall again and again, mercilessly swinging the parasol again and again. She wasn't the strongest person here by any means, but she had a reinforced parasol. The handle cracked, breaking in half, but the wall cracked too. Peach gripped the parasol further up, swinging again and again, the cracks in the wall growing larger until the wall finally gave way.

Mario dashed forward first, reaching out for his brother. "Luigi!"

Dimentio grinned angrily. He knew Peach would be trouble. It was time to break her and all her friends. He formed a large ball of energy, driving it straight into L's chest.

Pain shot through his body as L began to lose consciousness. This was it, wasn't it? His journey as the greatest minion to Bleck and number one of the Mushroom World was quickly ending. He couldn't remember before a month ago. Everything felt like one huge sense of deja vu, eating at his mind. Strangely, he wanted to remember. Perhaps being player two wasn't so bad, especially if player one was willing to go through so much trouble to save him.

He wanted to reach out, to take Mario's extended hand, to have someone tell him it would be alright. But his body wasn't responding. He couldn't feel much of anything anymore. "Mr... He...ro..."

Mario reached out as his brainwashed brother suddenly burst into a huge ball of light radiating in all directions.

"Game over," Dimentio taunted as he flipped into another dimension, leaving his victims crushed under the weight of their own loss.

… **.**

 **Author's musings**

I love to hate Dimentio. Perhaps why I made him such an insufferable, narcissistic asshole.

No one really deserved this.

Dimentio, you suck.


	15. No no no no no

Mario stared at his empty hand. It was his worst fear made manifest. Luigi was gone, murdered right before his eyes by some psychotic ancient dimensional witch who had been at the root of the entire battle for the star shards. Terror and regret ran through his mind. Why hadn't he pushed Mr. L harder to come home? Why had he been so vague in their conversation? It happened so fast, he didn't have a chance to convince L to come home. Now it was too late.

Daisy paused in her tracks, a horrified expression frozen on her features. She hadn't considered that Mr. L was Luigi nor had she expected that the dimensional witch was still alive or that he was the traitor L had sought to expose. L's identity made sense though. Green hat, that L name, the thunderhand ability, even that well-groomed mustache. It was so obvious, and she cursed at herself for not realizing it sooner. She cursed at herself for not speaking her feelings, for never telling him how she truly felt.

She pulled Luigi's toy from her shirt. Even after all she'd dragged it through, the toy powered by a star shard was still in one piece. The crank worked, the little wheels at the bottom worked. The goomba and the shoe both retained their original vibrant colors. He made the toy very well. She held the toy to her heart.

Peach looked on as her friends despaired. She didn't know what to say, tears streaming down her own face as she clutched her broken parasol in her hands. She'd known the brothers since they were kids. She couldn't believe this was happening. She wanted to believe it was just a nightmare, and she'd simply wake up from it. All her friends would be there and they could have cake. But this was reality, and they would not be having cake right now.

Tucking the toy back into her shirt, Daisy knelt down, plucking Mr. L's hat from the ground. It was the only piece of him left behind after Dimentio killed him, turning him into some sort of light. She held the hat to her heart. She wanted to keep the hat, she truly did, but it just didn't feel right. "Here, you should probably have this." She held the hat out to Mario.

He took it, gripping it between his hands as he held it to his broken heart.

"Let's... let's head back to the castle," Ninjetta suggested, still staring at the scene. She felt like she would suffocate, standing there gaping for air as she attempted to believe what just happened.

With a heavy sigh, Daisy nodded, leading the way back through the bamboo forest. She had to protect the few star shards they had in their possession. She'd left them on the dining room table next to the book that retold the tale of the first encounter with the Dark Star. She had to review that book even more. There had to be a way to stop the dimensional witch, even without her brooch. Luigi's death would not be in vain.

Her shirt felt empty without the brooch on it. She rarely did anything without it. She wore it almost constantly. It was a symbol of her kingdom, a place she loved with all her heart. And now it was gone. She was losing everything. First the star shards, then Luigi and her brooch. If she wasn't careful, she could lose the world too.

Shoving open the dining room doors, she slumped into the far seat, watching the other three do something similar. The situation was incredibly grim. Everything was going wrong so quickly. It was spiraling out of control and she didn't know how to stop it. Dimentio wasn't wrong. She knew so little about the actual events of the battle. She thought it was just a legend. Sure, Dahlia was a real person, but who fights stars? Well aside from maybe Rosalina, but she was a galactic princess and she protected the stars. Stars were always a good thing, and now one was going to attempt to destroy everything.

Though it wouldn't be complete with the shards still in their possession.

Daisy stared at the table.

Where were the shards? "No, no, no no no no no no no no. It can't be."

The other three at the table glanced up at Daisy. "What's wrong, Daisy?" Peach tilted her head inquisitively.

It couldn't be. There was just no way. She picked up the book, searched under it, under the table, under the chair, on the chair, anywhere near the chair, in the book. "Where are they? Where are they?!" She turned the book upside down in a panic, fanning the pages, attempting to find any signs of the shards Mr. L had given her. A note fluttered from the pages, landing on the table.

Picking up the note, she stared at it, before her blood boiled over. "' _You make this far too easy, successor, to set the final stage of this play. Enjoy the finale. It's going to be a blast.'_ You jerk dimensional witch! I hate you! _"_ Balling up the paper, she squashed it between her two hands before throwing it at the wall. Twice she'd messed up, twice she'd lost the shards, probably to the same jerk both times.

Everything was over, wasn't it, all because of her own inability to keep track of shards. It was all her fault. She was nothing like Dahlia. She _had_ forgotten her heritage, the legacy that extraordinary princess had left behind. It really was just like Dimentio had said.

Daisy scowled at the book. The rewrite was doing her no good. There was nothing in there, no mention of how Dahlia had done it, what power she had used, or if the power could even be used again. Perhaps the power within the brooch had been exhausted and never recharged. Perhaps something else was responsible. Perhaps everything in the book was stretched. Were there truly no answers, no way to win? Would the worlds truly turn into nothingness at the hands of this monster?

She turned, kicking her chair backwards, leaving it to clatter into the wall behind her. There had to be answers. There had to be a way, but would a world missing a friend be worthy of saving?

She shook her head. What was she thinking? Of course it would be. Luigi would want them all to live on, to carry on and be happy. Even when the situation got bad, he always found a way to become happy in that stupidly loveable way he always did. Sure, he wasn't stable. He was afraid of most things. His list of things he didn't fear was rather short. But he was the happy glue to this circle of friendship, always there to help out, even when it terrified him.

Huffing, she stormed past the table and towards the door.

"Daisy..." Peach rose to her feet, calling out to her friend. "Where are you going?"

Daisy paused mid step, furrowing her brow. She was angry, but she wasn't angry at Peach for any reason. Peach had done nothing but reach out to her, to try to help in the situation. "I can't just sit around and wait for the damn World to just end. I'm tired of being the one to annoy everyone or lose things or just plain old screw up. I'm going to find answers." She turned, placing a hand on the door.

"Daisy wait," Peach protested.

"Nothing you say will stop me," Daisy frowned at the door, gripping the doorknob. She felt so incompetent lately. Today was a terrible day, and it was only getting worse. Perhaps it wasn't redemption she sought for her inability to keep track of shards. No, it was more desperation to protect their home, to save what was left of it. A world without Luigi would be hard, but she still had Peach and Mario and Ninjetta. She had her four kingdoms, the land she loved and worked so hard to restore after Tatanga had invaded. She loved her people and the lives they'd created here in her land. There were those like Ninjetta who had started a new life here, those who created restaurants and stores and even turned the arid desert of Birabuto into a booming city. She couldn't just quit, even if the world felt grim. She had to find something, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

"I don't want to stop you," Peach countered. "I want to go with you."

Daisy paused, her hand still on the doorknob. She wasn't certain why she was surprised by the answer. Perhaps Peach felt the desperation as well. Turning and glancing over her shoulder, she found that not only Peach had stood but Mario and Ninjetta as well. While there was still sadness in their eyes, there was also determination. She'd be stupid to think either of them would surrender or give up.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Daisy beckoned them to follow her. "We're goin' to the place few have ever seen. Chai's great vault."

She pushed open both doors, leading the group into the main foyer and towards the front entrance. With the help of a few ninji staffers, Daisy dragged one of the long runners up the left stairway before coming back down the stairs. On the floor was a noticeable set of lines and small crevices once hidden by the runner rug, indicating some sort of panel or door lay hidden there.

Daisy had never been to the vault before, though she knew of its existence and the means to get there. She stared at the hidden entrance for a moment, sadness, fear, doubt, and desperation in her mind. The situation was pretty grim, but perhaps there was hope down there in the vault, something to tell them how Dahlia fought the Dark Star.

Pushing one of the long, flower-embroidered tapestries aside on the wall, Daisy pressed the hidden button. The mechanism whirred to life, emitting a low rumble as the ancient gears finally turned after a long slumber. The floor shook slightly, sending Ninjetta to cling to Daisy's leg. The panel once hidden by the runner rug depressed, lowering downwards until it locked into place with a clunk, revealing a set of stone stairs leading downward.

Shaking her leg free of Ninjetta's grip, Daisy took the first few steps forward, pausing right before the entrance. "Nanja, cover the entrance with the runners once I close the doors from the inside." Nanja, the ninji with a bowtie around his neck, nodded in reply.

Daisy wanted to ensure that Dimentio wouldn't be able to find the entrance if he returned, though she wasn't _entirely_ convinced just hiding the entrance would deter him. He was a dimensional witch. He probably could just route the hidden entrance anyway. But even a little bit helped, she silently reassured herself.

Daisy entered the hidden staircase first, her three companions following close behind. The staircase itself was narrow, allowing only one person across. The stairs wound in a circle, dark at first, but every few stairs, when Daisy touched the step, a torch lit ablaze above them, lighting their way. Daisy put a hand on the wall to steady herself as she descended the spiral stairs, hoping the spiraling wouldn't make her feel dizzy. Last thing she needed was to fall down several flights of stairs.

The narrow stairs eventually opened up into a huge natural cavern and a natural bridge formed of some sort of orange natural minerals.

Peach marveled at the sight. "Wow, this place is beautiful."

Some sort of light filtered in from multiple directions, illuminating the cavern. Large stalactites formed of different minerals decorated the far reaches of the room, shining various colors in the light. Some of the stalactites reached the stalagmites on the ground, forming massive columns, giving some places of the far walls the appearance of a large pipe organ. The ceiling far above them had a few shorter stalactites hanging from them.

The bridge before them appeared as if it were formed naturally or perhaps carved out of the natural formations. Unlike the stairway, the bridge was wider, surrounded on both sides by still waters perfectly reflecting the ceiling. Peach stared at the waters for a moment, pondering if anything had made its home below the surface.

Daisy stared at the surroundings. She had heard of the cavern but never expected it to be anything this grandiose. It was like nothing anywhere else, a true treasure of the ancient world. "The vault should be up ahead."

Ninjetta hopped closely to Daisy as she lead the team down the walkway. It was longer than expected. The stairway behind them faded away into the darkness of the cavern before something new came into view. Embedded into a large wall partially decorated with stalactites and columns were two massive doors stretching several stories high.

The doors were nearly black in color. At the center of the doors about halfway up was the outline of a daisy, drawn in a dull gold, shaped exactly like the brooch, six petals and a large circle in the middle. The daisy itself spanned both doors. Gold lines radiated from the daisy in geometric and linear patterns from top to bottom, spanning across both doors to the edges. The lines stopped at the edge of the door where it met with the cavern wall.

Taking a step forward, Daisy placed a hand on each door at the center. She knew the instructions, but she didn't even know if it would work. The magics of Chai had long-since been forgotten, but the blood still ran in her veins. She stared up at the large daisy emblem as it began to react to her touch. The dull gold lit up, following a path from her hands and radiating out to light up all the patterns on the door.

With a deep groan, the old doors budged, pushing open without even her touch. Daisy stared in awe as the room began to light up. "Alright. It's time we find some answers."

… **..**

 **Author's ramblings**

Of course, a proper castle should have a proper hidden vault. But what truly lies down below? Could they really have the answers they seek? Hopefully after that mess of events.

The vault was inspired by old castle stairways and natural caverns. The door was inspired by unnecessarily tall cathedral doors.


	16. Tales from the vault

The hidden Chai Kingdom vault was expansive. The lights flickered on, illuminating the large vault hidden underneath the castle inside a hidden cavern. Despite how long the vault had likely been shut, little dust settled on the place. Several shelves of books lined one wall. Many of the books had handwritten labels on them, bound in leather and twine. Rolled up scrolls lined the opposing wall on multiple shelves. Beside the scroll shelves sat a rather ornate suit of armor, gold in color. Beside the bookshelves were various tapestries rolled up, standing upright in a large box. At the far end was an ordinary door.

"I wonder where a clue might be," Peach mused aloud, perusing the bookshelf. There were many books she'd never heard of before. Most seemed to be retelling of events, some marked with a year, location, and a title of some sort. Several listed off festivals. A few had mysterious names like _Adjoining_ or _Under the Desert_. Others seemed like original prints to fairy tales, such as _The Three Little Goombas_. Peach idly wondered if the fairy tales actually had some truth to it, like the tale of the Dark Star did.

Mario perused the scrolls. Some were made of paper, some were canvas. Most of them had twine tied around the end jutting out with a little paper tag denoting a year or a location. The years dated several thousand years back. There was a temptation to simply take each scroll and carefully unroll it to see what it contained. Yet he wasn't here to snoop in the kingdom's secrets. He needed to help find the answers to the mystery of the Dark Star. Something had to be here.

Unlike the other two, Daisy was fixed on the ordinary door. It seemed so ordinary compared to everything else within the vault and even the path to get here. There were no markings on it, no mysterious grooves or signs of wear or any indication that it was an important door. Yet that made the door all the more intriguing. It was so out of place it _had_ to be important.

Almost hesitantly, she touched the door. It didn't do anything, no reaction, no lights or fire or anything. It was just a normal door. She turned the handle. It wasn't locked, but why would it be? It was an ordinary door in a locked vault hidden deep within a cavern beneath the castle only accessible by hidden stairs. The door opened inward without any sort of exertion.

The room within was a small room which looked more like a dome with its rounded ceiling and smooth walls. Only one thing sat in the room. At the opposite end from the door sat a blue daisy brooch with six white petals on a display pedestal with a glass box over it. This was just too weird. Daisy stared at the box on the far end. This was some sort of trap or test, wasn't it? She pursed her lips for a moment. "Hey guys. I think I found something."

Replacing the book on the shelf, Peach followed Daisy to the room's entrance, peering over her friend's shoulder. "Oh my, how strange."

Mario and Ninjetta peered into the room as well.

"I'm going to touch it," Daisy proclaimed.

"Is... Is that wise?" Peach stared at her friend with uncertainty.

Daisy shrugged. The worlds would possibly soon be turned into nothingness. If this were a trap, then so be it. She had little to lose at this point. She crept forward, one step at a time. Nothing moved, no indented floor tiles, no poison darts shooting out from the walls, no giant rolling ball of stone coming to crush them. Nothing.

Reaching the display, Daisy bravely put her hands around the glass box, lifting it up then glancing around for some sort of trap. Still nothing. Setting the glass box on the floor, she plucked the brooch from its display. She held it in her hands, staring at it for a moment. It felt like her usual brooch yet somehow different. The blue gem in the center wasn't a solid color, looking as though it contained a thousand stars within. It was absolutely beautiful.

" _Honored descendent_."

The voice echoed in the round room. Daisy panicked, taking a step back and losing her balance, falling down to the floor as she clutched the brooch to her chest. She wasn't going to surrender it to anyone. She gaped as an image of the princess from the legends appeared on the wall behind the display. She was larger than life and rather similar to her designs on the tapestries but in greater detail.

"Princess Dahlia?!" Daisy stared.

The princess had red hair, long and falling down on her shoulders in multiple curls and swirls. Her dress was a golden yellow with large poofed sleeves and daisy accents. A daisy-like design traced up the A-line seams of the bodice, ending at the white band for the waist. Her skirt was large, supported no doubt by copious amounts of tulle in the style once popular so many years ago. The dress sported several layers of scalloped fabric, gold outlined in white.

" _I am Dahlia, yet mayhap thou hast guessed such._ " The image of Dahlia shook her head, frowning. " _No._ _Now probably isn't the time to be so proper. If you are watching this, I can only guess the Dark Star has returned._ "

Peach stepped forward, offering a hand to her fallen friend. "A holographic recording?"

"I didn't even know they had this sorta technology back then," Daisy mused, taking Peach's offered hand and rising to her feet.

" _I'm sure you have so many questions,_ " the recording continued. " _When I wrote the book, I left a lot out. Purposely. If evil knew of the true power, there might be great trouble. The koopa kingdom in the Lava Lands has had an eye on Chai since the battle with the Dark Star._ "

"Koopa kingdom?" Daisy echoed. "Ya think she means Bowser's kingdom?"

Peach tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "It's possible. Has his family line been around that long?"

" _So let me tell you the true tale._ " Dahlia flourished her right hand. Images appeared across the dome. On one side of the room was Chai, easily recognizable by the shape of the early castle and the bamboo fields. At the highest point in the dome was a black star with lines radiating from all sides for a short distance.

" _That at the top. That's the Dark Star. It appeared one day, causing the sky to turn black._ " She waved her hand, turning the projected sky into an eternal night. No stars shown. No clouds floated in the sky. It was just dark. " _No one knew where it had come from or what it wanted. It caused a great panic. This much from the storybook is true. I met with my friends from the Mushroom Kingdom and the Golden Pyramid to discuss possible options. We tried many things. Praying, singing, launching things into the sky. Nothing worked._ "

The images came to life. Three figures appeared at the front gates of the castle, attempting to reason with the star in the sky. They even launched what appeared to be fireworks into the sky, though the fireworks simply turned into nothingness when they got near the star.

Dahlia waved her hand and the scene disappeared. A new scene appeared, showing three princesses, Dahlia and her two friends, their backs to the center of the room. " _Plum, Chocolate, and I decided to enlist help from the ancient stars living in Star Haven._ " The image shifted to show a world that appeared to be made of stars and clouds. " _The haven is a local star bed, where the galactic princess helps make the stars in the skies. We spoke to the elder stars, and they told us that the Dark Star could turn the worlds into nothingness._ "

Before the three princesses appeared a star with a monocle and a large white mustache. Several stars stood at his side, all appeared quite ancient. The galactic princess was nowhere to be found, though Daisy idly pondered if Rosalina was somehow connected to this. Just how old was she anyway?

" _They also told us that the Dark Star didn't exist on this world, and that was why we couldn't reach it._ " Dahlia waved her other hand. On the opposite side of the room appeared a bizarre world, completely black but outlined in white. A castle stood in the distance, white outlined trees in the foreground. " _The world seems to have no name, and it was created by a dimensional wizard who had also summoned the Dark Star from the center of a black hole. The elder stars gave us their blessing as well as a device to travel to this world._ "

In front of the three princesses appeared an odd device. The device seemingly whirred to life, creating a large portal. " _We traveled to the world of darkness. It was a treacherous path of mazes, but we did as the elder star said. We followed the twinkling stars and found our way to the world of darkness. We used the blessing and fought against the Dark Star._ "

The princesses traveled from one side of the room to the world of black with white outlines. They stood together, holding the daisy brooch. They fired off attacks but the star fired back. The dimensional witch, Dimentio, joined the fray. He fired off several energy balls, the same ones he used when Daisy fought him. Dahlia's two friends both took a knee after they were hit by energy balls trying to shield Dahlia. The battle had worn on them all, tearing their dresses and their spirits. Yet Dahlia was the last one standing, the one holding the daisy brooch and firing off a massive beam of light radiating in all directions. The Dark Star shattered, sending small beams of light in all directions on the projection before the images all disappeared, save the large Dahlia behind the pedestal.

" _It was a joint effort. Without my friends, I wouldn't have had the strength to fight,_ " Dahlia shook her head. " _But don't worry. They did survive and we all went home. When we wrote the tale down, we all agreed that only one person would be the hero so if darkness came, it would only target one person. But there were always others there to stop the evil._ "

"Together, huh." Daisy glanced between her friends gathered there. She couldn't deny that they gave her a strength she didn't have when she was alone. "We'll go to that Star Haven together and get them to give us the device. I bet Rosie knows where it is."

" _Star Haven may not be accessible anymore,_ " Dahlia continued.

Daisy frowned, shouting as if Dahlia could hear her. "Aw man! Then how do we get there?"

" _But do not fret,_ " Dahlia added. " _No doubt in your hands, you hold the blessing of the elder stars. The daisy brooch with the stars within the gem. All you need is your friends and a strong heart and you can stop the Dark Star as well, hopefully this time forever. As for the device to jump worlds. It's here in this vault._ "

With that, the hologram of Dahlia flickered out. The pedestal began lowering into the ground as some sort of large engine whirred to life. The dome began folding open like a flower blooming before the walls completely receded into the ground. The four found themselves standing in a massive cavern similar to the one outside the vault. The ordinary door stood behind them. On either side, massive gears spun slowly, partially submerged in the water. Pipes ran along the cavern walls from somewhere behind the gears towards the front of the cavern. The pipes traced the outline of another massive set of doors. These doors were much more colorful, decorated in stars and nebulas.

The hologram of Dahlia appeared beside the door. " _These doors open a portal to the complicated space maze, the Whoa Zone._ "

"What a stupid name," Daisy scoffed.

" _It's a pretty stupid name_ ," Dahlia scoffed.

Peach giggled. The two had the same humor, even if one was recorded so long ago.

" _Just follow the bright star and you'll find your way there. Please be careful, my honored successor. Complete what I could not._ " The image of Dahlia motioned towards the door before flickering off.

Daisy sucked in a deep breath. Dahlia had said some pretty heavy stuff. The legend she had known all her life was only part of the story. Dahlia wasn't alone, so Daisy wouldn't have to do it alone either. They could all do it together. They could save their World and all those connected to it. Dimentio hadn't mentioned either of Dahlia's friends. Perhaps he saw them as no threat. But now, with Daisy and her friends, he'd see _them_ as a threat soon enough. "Alright. Let's go kick some star butt!"

...

 _"I'm not done with you yet. It's time for the great hero of the story to be reborn anew, as you should have been when I first created your character. You now answer to me."_

His boots fell heavily against the castle floor. His gait had changed into something more confident, much as it had been when he first traveled these halls. He'd been reborn, brought back from the Underwhere, the world where the dead await final judgment. His body had been restored, his wounds removed and his clothing repaired.

"L! Golly, I was getting worried!" Mimi bound up to him, rocking back and forth on her feet. "You were gone so long. I thought maybe you-know-who had found you. Did you-" she cut herself off as L looked at her. He'd changed. His eyes no longer had that crystalline hue to them. They were now an eerie gold, hollow and empty as if he were simply on autopilot.

"Out of my way, Junior." He pushed her to the side rather sharply, continuing on his way.

Mimi stared. Someone _had_ gotten to him since he left. He hadn't called her that since his first day here. She gritted her teeth. She tried to stay silent about what L had found, but now he'd been compromised. L had left her in the castle to be the one to inform the Count if something unfortunate happened. This was _unfortunate_. It was time to reveal the conspiracy, even without the evidence. She quickly stormed past him until he grabbed the back of her collar and yanked her, pushing her against the wall.

"I can't have you interfere with the final act," Mr. L smirked.

Mimi stared. He didn't speak that way. He never did. But there was someone who did speak that way. Dimentio. L was right. He figured out the traitor before anyone else had, but now the traitor controlled him. There had to be a way to save L! "D-dimentio! It's you! What have you done to-"

L cut her off as he clamped a hand over her mouth. He leaned forward, whispering something in her ear before sending an electric shock through her body, leaving her to slump lifelessly to the floor.

 **Author's chatter**

Helloooo everyone again! Forgive the lack of posting. I had been suffering such terrible writer's block, I couldn't even edit my writing. But thankfully the vacation seems to have kicked me out of it.

So the party finally gets to learn what's inside the vault. The room behind the hidden door I imagined like a planetarium. Domed ceiling, large colorful projections telling a tale larger than life. There are movie theaters in Mushroom World, according to the Mario & Luigi rpgs, so a planetarium is totally possible, perhaps even an ancient one.

And look who's back. Dun dun dun! What will become of Mimi?

 **References**

All trap references are pretty much from Indiana Jones.

The Star Haven comes from the first Paper Mario game, and the old star referenced is Eldstar, the oldest of the star spirits in the game.

Chocolate and the Golden Pyramid are from Wario Land 4. The princess's original name, Shokora, is essentially the French pronunciation for Chocolate. The kingdom was never named in game.


	17. Tales untold

Years and years ago, Nastasia found herself in great peril, but she was saved by a mysterious and charming Count who had been looking for his lost love, Timpani. His kindness and warm heart had moved her so much she swore loyalty to him, pledging herself to help find his lost love. But their search seemed hopeless. All evidence pointed to Timpani being killed and lost somewhere within the world. The Count despaired, and Nastasia's heart broke.

Yet during the Count's mourning, a strange magician appeared. He called himself Dimentio. He offered the Count a book that could bring back his lost love. All he had to do was follow the prophecy written within its pages to have his greatest wish granted. Nastasia was somewhat suspicious of the stranger, but the Count accepted the book despite her hesitations. He demanded the magician help in his quest, become one of his minions to piece together the Great Wishing Star foretold in the book.

Dimentio was greatly resourceful. He found for them a base of operations, a world of darkness only outlined in whites. A castle stood tall there, waiting for a Count to command it. It fit the castle and the world described within the prophecy, so the Count claimed the castle as his own without question. He'd changed his name to Bleck. He began speaking strangely. Nastasia worried for him as she watched this book change him, but she stayed by his side, ever loyal.

As the Count read the prophecy more and more, he realized he needed a force to gather these star shards, formidable minions who could withstand jumping between worlds, ones knowledgeable of other worlds as well. He needed the legendary man in green.

Nastasia set out to fulfill the Count's wishes. She set out to find people in this dark world to fill the halls, to work as builders and servants and cooks. The castle suddenly livened, and the Count seemed much happier to have others around him, yet there was still that sadness within his eyes as he pined for his long-lost love. She had considered she could fill that void for him, but his love for her was more platonic, almost familial at times. Besides, she had a promise to fulfill.

She set out to various worlds until she came across ruins inhabited by a strange spider-like girl. She called herself Mimi, but beyond that, the girl seemed not to know her origins or simply wouldn't speak of them. When she found Nastasia wasn't threatening, she shapeshifted herself into that of a green girl. Mimi was enamored with rubees and cute boys and paradise. Nastasia offered Mimi a place to live and potentially get those beloved rubees in exchange for work. Mimi agreed.

To another land Nastasia traveled. She heard rumors about a general of an army, the sole survivor of a terrible betrayal. The man had lead a thousand troops into enemy territory only to be sold out by one of his own. His troops fell to the enemy, and yet somehow he survived. He wasn't difficult to find, a large man with spring-like arms. His mind was scarred, his emotions completely shot. Convincing him to join Bleck's command wasn't too difficult. He sought acceptance and a place to start over. Nastasia offered both to him.

Soon Castle Bleck was alive and bustling. The Count had three capable minions, yet the key one in the prophecy still was notably absent. Time passed. The minions had become family, the Count's family. The search for the man in green continued. Without him, the Great Wishing Star couldn't be realized. They _needed_ him. And one day, careful searching had _located_ him.

Nastasia approached the man in green. He called himself Luigi, a strangely timid fellow who had a short list of things he didn't fear. Strange, Nastasia mused, that she'd found him in a haunted mansion attempting to capture ghosts. She attempted to speak with him, offer him a way to lose his fears. Her words only served to push him away as he fled the mansion.

She attempted to persuade him once more, yet he diligently avoided her, perhaps out of fear, perhaps simply because he wished not to be removed. World jumping wasn't for him. Frustrated, she found herself considering more manipulative options. She swore loyalty to the Count, and the Count needed the man in green under his control to fulfil the prophecy and summon the star. She sent Dimentio out to abduct the man in green and she scheduled a quick brainwashing. The man in green became Mr. L, the Count's most loyal minion. She felt guilty for forcing him, but she did what had to be done.

Nearly a month later...

"The final star shards." L held them out in his hand as he took a respectful knee before the count. He had been missing for a few days, but he'd returned suddenly at the castle, completely healed, victorious in his search for the final shards. 22 in total, which included all of the shards Dimentio had swiped from Daisy, first from her bag, then from the table.

Nastasia pushed her glasses up her nose. Mr. L seemed different than when he'd left, but perhaps the entire ordeal had given him some humility. His defeat was miserable, leaving him in a rather broken state as he pleaded for a second chance to retrieve the shards. And now that he had returned successful, the search would finally be over. Once the Count had his wish, she could release L back to his former self without a memory of anything that occurred. Surely the Count would agree with returning him. He didn't belong here.

"Bleh heh heh finally!" The Count rose from his seat, book in hand. His long cape slid off his seat, falling towards the ground before flaring out as he thrust his arms to the side dramatically and emphatically. "Call everyone here. Bleck wants the whole family here to witness."

"Why wait for all the players to arrive at center stage, my dear Count?" Dimentio inquired, stepping out of the shadows. "Why have them witness the star when you could show them the results instead?"

The Count folded one arm under the other, pondering the statement. Dimentio did have a point. He'd waited this long to finally find Timpani. All this searching, all the pain and suffering. It would all end now. He would finally have Timpani in his arms and his family would be complete.

Nastasia eyed Dimentio sideways from behind her glasses. Something felt off. Very off. "So Count, perhaps we should schedule a gathering-"

"Nastasia." The Count cut her off. He turned, taking her shoulders in his hands, then drawing her close into a hug. She was always there for him, and he could understand her concern. They had traveled so far together. He'd dismissed her concerns several times, but perhaps she'd permit one more dismissal.

As he released her, she stared up at him. There was a surprising amount of hope in his eyes, something she hadn't seen once. She nodded simply. "I'll get the other shards, kay?"

Dimentio watched as Nastasia exited the room, scrutinizing her from behind his friendly smile. She was always a difficult one to read. He could never tell what she was truly thinking, but Dimentio could always rely on her obeying the Count. She wouldn't interfere in the final act, not with the Count pushing her in the proper direction.

Nastasia soon returned with the jar of shards. With his jeweled cane, the Count commanded the shards to gather in the center of the room. As the shards met, they began to fuse together building a star shape. With the very last shard, the star burst into full size, nearly as tall as Dimentio and the Count themselves.

The star glowed a brilliant white, the light radiating in all directions. The Count shielded his eyes at first until they adjusted. He took a step forward, then another. His dreams would finally be realized, his greatest wish finally granted. The star was as beautiful as the prophecy had described. All that was left was to provide the host, the legendary man in green.

L took to his feet, a smirk tugging at his lips. He stepped forward, outstretching his hand towards the star. This was his destiny, and he could finally fulfill it. No one could stop him now. The star reacted to his touch. He could feel the star's energy as it drew him towards it. A beam of light shot from the star, piercing L through the center. The energy was cold. It felt as though it would freeze him solid. It hurt. His body ached, but it would soon all be over. As he absorbed the last of the star, it flickered black before disappearing inside of the host.

He could feel the power emanating from within him. It began radiating from him, a cold black energy with the power of an ancient star. It began transforming him. His shirt lengthened, transforming into a double-breasted, swallow-tailed jacket. His gloves and boots turned black. The ties on his mask lengthened, waving like ribbons behind him. His eyes flashed an eerie black as well. He had become the star personified.

He stepped forward. As his foot touched the ground, the ground responded, seemingly disappearing under his step. He took a knee before the count, extending his hand. The floor reacted only briefly to his touch, a dark energy radiating then quickly dissipating. " _Your wish, my Count?_ " His voice had become slightly warped.

Nastasia forcefully closed her mouth after gaping for a moment. The star had completely changed him. She had hoped to release L from her hold, but now she questioned if such were even possible. He had _become_ the Great Wishing Star. Her heart sank quickly. What had she done?

"Bleck wishes for Timpani to return." The Count reached out, taking L's extended hand. He immediately felt the power radiating from the man in green, but it was cold. There was sadness, fear, and hatred, not the love and hope the Count had expected. Something was wrong. It all felt wrong. He stared at L, wide-eyed as he attempted to pull away but found himself unable to escape L's grasp.

L's body began to emit a black wispy light, the tendrils reaching out and grabbing Bleck, tugging at his cloak and his sleeves. " _You will join Timpani_." L's words were haunting, his voice warped by the power of the star within him. He continued to emit the dark tendrils; they pulled at Bleck until they finally overpowered him, absorbing him and overtaking him until nothing of the Count remained within the room. L's touch had turned the Count into nothingness, lost to this world and all those connected with it.

Nastasia stared, horrified. She could feel her hands shaking. This wasn't at all what the book had said would happen. Everything they worked for wasn't for this. The result should have been happy and pleasant. L truly was different, but what had happened in the past few days? His bitter loss couldn't have compelled him to rebel. His brainwashing was much too strong for something like this. No, something else was at fault. She lifted her glasses, attempting to use her psychic powers to regain control, but it wasn't working.

" _I don't take orders from you anymore._ " He rolled his head to the side, staring at her hauntingly down his nose, his empty black eyes focused on her. A smirk distorted his features as he taunted her. His movements were unnatural as the star's power coursed through his body. He was no longer in control. He had completely surrendered himself to the star.

He jutted a hand out towards Nastasia, as if following some silent order. " _L-ater_." Green lightning sparked at his fingertips, gathering power before firing off in a large statically charged beam.

Dimentio huffed as Nastasia fell unconscious to the floor. "You were supposed to turn her into nothingness."

" _I am incomplete,_ " L protested.

He stared at the star's host. "What do you mean, _incomplete_? The stage has been set for your grand entrance!"

" _I am missing a piece,_ " L reiterated.

Dimentio scowled while still somehow grinning. It was that floral princess and her friends. They hid a piece somewhere he hadn't been able to detect. Perhaps he shouldn't have killed the original L so quickly. He was quite effective in his hunt for shards. But the original L deviated from the script. Dimentio only did what had to be done to keep the play on schedule. He'd simply have to locate the opposition and eliminate them before they could close the curtain too early on the final act.

 **...**

The galactic maze known as the Whoa Zone had been nothing sort of complicated gravitational anomalies, numerous doors that lead nowhere, and one shining star to guide them through it. Daisy stared upward, frowning. A few moments before, the ceiling was once the ground. Now they stood on what was once the ceiling. This was complicated.

She blinked several times as the ceiling suddenly turned black, seemingly disappearing as a low growl reverberated through the zone. She bit her lip. "Guys, I think we've got trouble." She pointed upward.

Her three companions glanced upward as well. "Oh no," Peach gasped.

"Yeah," Daisy gritting her teeth. "I think that weirdo Dimentio's summoned the Star already! Things're starting to disappear!" She glanced behind them. Half the door had disappeared as a strange streak of nothingness overtook the far wall.

"Even an incomplete star has _this_ power." Peach stared, worry tugging at her usually soft features. "We must stop it before it can spread farther." She glanced around, spotting the guiding star in the door just ahead of them. Dahlia's instructions had spoken true. The star was guiding them towards the proper path. And hopefully this door would be the exit. It was a larger door than ones previously encountered, decorated in dulled rainbow hues with stars dotted along the door frame.

Daisy stared at the nothingness for a moment. Sure. Stop the Dark Star. She still wasn't entirely certain how to do it, even with Dahlia's instructions. Believe in friendship power or something or other. It sounded like some weird twisted fairy tale, and truthfully the thought probably wasn't that far off. The star-dotted daisy brooch she'd pinned to her tennis dress had been blessed by elder stars and was fueled by a strong heart. Peach was really the one who was driven by her heart. Daisy was the sort to use her fists, but perhaps if they believed in her, she could be a little mushy to save the worlds.

Now wasn't the time to dwell in her own thoughts. Those streaks of nothingness were creeping closer. "C'mon, let's go. Don't want to lose a shoe in nothingness do we?" Daisy pushed the others forward, attempting to get them to move faster. This star was pretty freaky, and it had to be stopped.

The door opened up to a mostly black world. The walls were outlined in stark white, appearing to be made of a smooth, solid black material. Before the door was a window, also outlined in white, giving a view of the outside world, which was also black outlined in white. It was the most bizarre world any of them had even encountered, and it was exactly as hologram Dahlia had shown them. This was the world of darkness, the place where the star could be reborn.

… **..**

 **Author's musings**

So much revealed! The drama! The betrayal! But we all knew Dimentio was a twat anyway.

Mimi and O'chunks' backstories are pretty close to what they were in game, as vague as they were anyway. Nastasia and Bleck's relationships are pretty close as well. The result of their efforts, however, have been turned upside down and on top of themselves as Dimentio's true plan is revealed and poor Bleck becomes nothing. Sorry buddy. Got nothing against ya there.

And Daisy's view of the Whoa Zone is pretty much mine. When I had to navigate the damn place, even with a step-by-step guide on how to get through the zone, I was so confused. I somehow made it through on the first try. I still have no idea how I did it.


	18. Black and white nothing

The world was dark. There was no other way to describe it. At least not in Daisy's mind. It was just like Dahlia had shown in her holographic images. This was the place of the final battle.

Daisy felt a strange blend of fear, nerves, and absolute rage. This Dimentio had not only attempted to destroy their world, and all connected ones, not just once but twice. He'd used people to get the shards, manipulated then killed them when they weren't following his stupid plan. Luigi was his latest victim. Who knew how many fell before him.

Daisy stared down the hall. Had another fallen? She dashed forward, crouching down to attend to the fallen girl. She wasn't human, and while she was the color of the beanbean, she wasn't one of them either. Perhaps she was an inhabitant of another world, recruited to be cast in this stupid world-destroying play. "Hey, hey. Are you okay?"

Peach knelt down as well. The girl felt warm to the touch, and she seemed to be breathing. "I think she's alive still." But for how long? She stayed silent with her doubts. Now was not the time to be vocal about them.

The girl stirred, opening her large black eyes and staring at the two girls before nearly shooting up to her feet. "You!" Mimi couldn't believe it. It was those two princesses who were the bane of her existence. They always interfered with her attempts to gather star shards. But were they truly so awful given how recent events had simply flipped her world upside down?

Daisy scowled, scrunching her face in irritation. "Is that how you greet someone who's trying to help!?"

"Daisy, please," Peach placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's probably frightened. Who knows what this dimensional witch has done to her."

"Dimensional witch?" Mimi echoed. Wait. That sounded awfully familiar. "Golly. It's Dimentio. L was right. He's the traitor."

"What do you know about Mr. L?" Daisy hissed.

"He's my best friend!" Mimi screeched back. "And that stupid Dimentio has taken control of him! Dang Dimentio. He's tricking us all!"

"Best friend?" Daisy blinked. She hadn't considered that L had become his own person, forming his own bonds and friendships. Since she learned Luigi was L, she had considered them somehow the same, but it truthfully couldn't be farther from the truth. The two were like night and day, and the last thing she'd expected L to do was find a best friend.

Peach breathed in a heavy sigh, images of L dying still glued to her mind. She rubbed at her eyes. "He really didn't deserve to die that way. Dimentio must be stopped."

"Hold up, pinky!" Mimi waved her hands, interrupting. "What do you mean _die_? L's not dead!"

Daisy frowned again, gritting her teeth. She felt the pain in her heart again, the emptiness she felt without Luigi around. She couldn't imagine how Mario was feeling as he stood silently behind the princesses with Ninjetta. "He's _dead_. That stupid Dimentio killed him right in front of us."

"Doofus!" Mimi hissed. "He's not dead! Dimentio's controlling him! I just saw him. He was talking like Dimentio, but when he probably meant to kill me to keep me from interfering, he knocked me out. I know he's in there somewhere. The _real_ Mr. L!" She knew there was still hope for L. He had leaned in, and right before he sent thunder through her body, he whispered _forgive me, Mims_. He could still be saved.

Daisy stared. She couldn't believe it. She gaped a few times, but nothing came out.

"Mr. L is here?" Mario finally spoke up. The idea seemed impossible. There was no question that Dimentio had killed L right in front of them, but was it possible he had simply trapped L in another dimension with the intent of reviving him for his own purposes? At this point, anything seemed possible. And if L were truly alive once again, perhaps he would be able to save his brother.

Mimi nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "It really frustrates me to say this, but he told me if anything happened to him, I should trust _you_." She jabbed a finger at Mario. She knew how L felt about him, how L toiled tirelessly in an attempt to one-up the hero. It felt strange to even _consider_ trusting Mario, but L was rather certain in his instructions.

Mario blinked. "He said that?" Her statement was unexpected, but perhaps that was Luigi speaking through L somehow. Dimentio had said the actor was bleeding into the character. Perhaps somehow L was breaking free of the brainwashing which had created him.

Mimi nodded again, this time emphatically. "Gee, after he fought with you, he said he was certain someone was betraying us but didn't know who, that the star the Count wanted to create wasn't to make wishes, it was to destroy things!" She furrowed her brows in frustration, staring at her feet. She wanted to believe the star was for wishing, that the Count would finally have his greatest dream realized. He'd been working towards forming the wishing star for so long, it seemed like a nightmare to know that wasn't its purpose.

"That's why he came to me for proof." Daisy nodded. Things were beginning to add up, the timeline falling into place.

"He wanted proof to show to the Count!" Mimi added. "To prove that someone was betraying him! Before... before it was too late." But it was too late, wasn't it? If Mr. Hero and his friends had traveled here, she could only expect the worst. "And he said if something happened to him, to trust you, Mr. Hero. Stop Dimentio! And save Mr. L!"

She was asking quite a bit, but if Mario were in her place, he'd be asking the same. Currently he wasn't the one wielding the power. It was Daisy. That didn't mean he wouldn't do everything within his power to help seal a victory and save L. "We'll do everything we can. Where do you think they might be?"

Mimi didn't take much time to consider where they could be. The answer seemed pretty obvious. "The grand hall. It's where we were all going to meet to summon the wishing star."

Mario glanced at the two princesses then at Ninjetta, who had chosen to cling nervously to his leg. There was only one path to take, and they all silently knew it. "Take us there."

Mimi didn't hesitate to fulfill the request, spinning on her heels, heading down the hall, and beckoning for them to follow. She still wasn't set on thinking of them as the good guys just yet, but L never did exactly call them enemies either. She didn't have many options other than trusting them to help. They had to stop this evil star and save the Count and L. She couldn't fight either of them. They were stronger than she was.

The hallways all looked the same. Each turn was another black hallway outlined in white. Daisy wasn't sure how the girl knew where to go. Yet what bothered her the most was that the girl seemed familiar, as if they'd met before, but Daisy was certain she'd remember a green-faced girl. She shrugged it off. Now wasn't the time to ponder such things.

Before the group stood a large pair of doors. They were more ornate than other doors in the hallways, arched at the top and decorated down the sides with an angular, geometric pattern. Whatever lay behind the door stayed silent. If a battle had waged on, it was now done. They would all be walking into the unknown.

Mimi paused, placing a hand on the door. It was far too quiet. Perhaps she'd made a mistake, perhaps they'd taken the battle elsewhere within the castle. But the whole of the castle seemed quiet as it were. Just how long had she been out? There was really only one way to find out.

She pushed the door open just a bit at first until both doors swung fully open on their own. The room was rather quiet aside from an odd pulsing noise. Nothingness had overtaken the floor, removing several of the columns and the white outlined runner which lead to where the count often sat. That particular seat now had an occupant, Dimentio. Beside him stood the warped Mr. L, radiating a strange black wispy glow. On the opposite side lay Nastasia unconscious.

Dimentio offered a slow, sarcastic clap as the group entered the room. "The final characters have arrived, just in time for the final scene." He hadn't completely expected them to be able to travel to this land. Dahlia had done it before when she ruined his plans, and he had to rewrite the play from scratch. Yet Daisy wasn't like Dahlia. She wouldn't be able to stop him.

Yet to his surprise, Mimi was with them. An unexpected character had made a return, one he simply hadn't accounted for. She and O'chunks were supposed to be off on a mission to find some nonexistent star shards and ultimately meet their demise in doing so. Mimi had returned, and yet while ordered to do so, L hadn't killed her in their last encounter. Was that second player still fighting? He had no will whatsoever. There was no way he could overpower the secondary brainwashing. Luigi simply didn't exist anymore.

"What have you done with the Count, you doofus!?" Mimi hissed.

"He is with his love, just as he always desired," Dimentio replied, flourishing his hand.

Mimi flared up. "You mean you killed him!"

"That's such a harsh word," he protested. "He simply ceases to exist, just as his love once did, if she ever even existed in the first place."

"You're screwing with love!" Mimi shouted back. She knew Dimentio to be inconsiderate, but this was going too far. "I thought we were a family! What did you do to L? Are you going to kill him too?"

"Kill L?" Dimentio scoffed. "Oh right, you missed the end of the last act. Yet you see, as the master of this play, I control life and death. I needed him." He flourished a hand towards L, who didn't even budge. He continued to stare lifelessly at the door. "His purpose is almost complete. The Dark Star he hosts is almost complete and then everything that pathetic Dahlia attempted to do will be overwritten. Everything will be nothing. I can rewrite the dimensions."

"L!" Mimi screeched. "L!"

Dimentio tilted his head curiously. "Your calls fall on deaf ears."

"L!" Mimi continued. "Dimentio pulled a really nasty trick on you, but we promised. We'd always stick by your side! Remember!"

Dimentio sighed, shaking his head. She was persistent. Pointing at Mimi, he gave his orders. "Kill that one first. Then find the last star shard, even if you have to pry it from their cold dead hands. The actors in this play are expendable. Only the playwright must survive."

… **..**

 **Author's musings**

I do love the idea that Dimentio is incredibly vicious, arrogant, and violent. But as a playwright, naturally he isn't one to dirty his hands. That's what he has poor L for. He's so certain his victory is assured. What an absolute douche.

And I also like the idea that Mimi isn't really evil herself but instead has her personal reasons for being with the Count. Perhaps a sucker for love and acceptance and desires, things she may or may not have had prior. Or perhaps just wanting to save L because they actually became close. And that L isn't an idiot, standoffish, or in charge like other options in the castle.

Let's see how this battle unfolds….


	19. A battle over nothing

They'd been nothing but a thorn in the wizard's side. Dimentio no longer required them to continue living. They had collected their share of star shards and foolishly lost them so easily. They had served their purpose, and now they were no longer useful. Once that final shard was in his hands, Dimentio had no need for any of them. "Kill them and take the last remaining star shard."

L finally moved from his statuesque pose. His steps fell heavily against the floor, causing the dimension to ripple as he moved. The star was not yet complete within him. He couldn't simply tear the dimensions and turn them into nothingness just yet. " _Have at you._ "

This situation had gone from bad to worse. Daisy had prepared herself to fight a star like the one Dahlia had shown in her holograms. Yet there she stood, faced with possibly her worst nightmare. Luigi had been revived after being torn apart right before them, but he'd been revived as some sort of empty shell of a monster, with the Dark Star dwelling within him. How could she fight against him?

She felt a shortness in her breath as she stepped forward. Pulling the brooch from her dress, she held it upward, just as Dahlia had once did. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for a miracle. _Work, you stupid thing! Help me stop the star!_

She opened one eye. Nothing was happening. She gripped the brooch in both hands, furious with it. "Work, you stupid thing! Work!" It was their last hope. It had to work. She shook her head. She felt strong and determined yet at the same time, she felt immense pain. Her heart ached. She was faced against fighting the shell of Luigi. It was more difficult than anything she'd ever faced. She felt conflicted. She wanted to save the worlds, but she also wanted to save Luigi. Right now, she had to choose one or the other.

"Daisy!" Peach leapt forward as L fired off a massive bolt of green electricity. It grazed her shoulder, tearing the sleeve of her dress as the two princesses collided with the ground.

Daisy lost her grip on the brooch and it flew across the room, clattering to the floor and rolling several times before sliding into one of the veins of nothingness. "Dammit! Dammit all!" she screamed, pounding the floor with her fist. That was their last hope and now due to her own butterfingers, it now was gone. All that trouble they went through. Dahlia had entrusted the brooch to her. Daisy was going to complete her mission. And now she'd ruined it in the first minute of the fight.

Peach sat up, tearing her sleeve at the seam and discarding it. She searched the room for the brooch but it was nowhere to be found. Her attention snapped forward as L towered over the two, gathering lightning in his hand. "L, fight this. You're stronger than a star. I know you are. We all do."

L frowned as he continued to gather more lightning. " _Shut up._ " He pushed his hands together, drawing lightning into both hands as he separated them. _"I don't need your underdog talk. L-ater, Miss Getskidnappedalot._ " He drew his hands back to fire off an attack but quickly recoiled, avoiding a large red fireball.

"I never thought of you once as second," Mario admitted, standing poised behind the princesses. His left hand was extended as he stood slightly sideways, his head slightly lowered as he stared at L. He held no anger in his expression, no sympathy either. Only sadness. "I just want my brother back."

Mimi paused, staring. She had heard mention of Mario missing a brother. Could L really be someone else? She could find out, but after they stopped the Dark Star. She leapt forward, wrapping herself around L. She grabbed at his sleeves, attempting to pull them up. If the bandage was still there, her bowtie wrapped around his arm, maybe that would help him remember.

L hissed, generating lighting up his arms. She felt the jolt resonate within her legs, almost as if the gears had stopped ticking for a moment. She pulled her arm back, then punched him in the back of the head. "Doofus!" Her arms were stringy, doing very little damage, but she hit him again anyway. "We look out!" And again. "For one another!" And again. "That's what family does!"

Perhaps he wasn't her real family. Perhaps he really belonged with them and that's why he'd told Mimi to trust them. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. Something had always been off. She could tell every time she stared at his eyes. He wasn't there, as if he'd been brainwashed. It was always that way. He didn't really belong here, but for right now, she could at least pretend she was still her family. He was still Mr. L. "We promised!"

L grabbed her legs, forcefully yanking him off her before tossing her aside. She rolled a few times after impacting the ground, finally coming to a stop a foot before the void where Daisy's brooch had disappeared. She grabbed at her arm as it hung from what appeared to be gears and hinges, pushing it back into place. She couldn't let Dimentio have him. "Family should be together..."

Grabbing her parasol, Peach leapt forward in a flurry of pink, taking bounding leaps in her high heels as they clattered against the black floor. There weren't many options right now. Without the brooch, their chances of victory were slim. They'd all faced some pretty grim things in the past. Alien invasions, galactic battles, rampant emotions, but somehow they always came out on top. Now would be no different, right?

She took a swing at L with her reinforced parasol. Leaping into the air, L dodged the attack, landing several feet behind where he once stood, firing off several balls of lightning. Peach's reflexes were quick as she opened the parasol, deflecting the attacks. With the sound of the attacks ceasing, she shut the parasol, preparing another attack. L had approached quickly, using the balls of lightning to purposely force her to open the parasol. He was now right in front of her.

Spinning on her heels, she turned backwards, bending at the knees and ramming right into him with her backside. "Hachaa!"

He hadn't expected the attack, stumbling back several steps before regaining his footing. He gathered more thunder in his hand, but Peach was surprisingly quick, taking long strides forward. Spinning on the balls of her feet, she swung the parasol in a large arching motion. This time, L caught the parasol in his hands, the force of the impact pushing him back nearly a foot. Lightning snaked from his hands into the parasol. Peach immediately relinquished the parasol but she wasn't done yet.

While L had the parasol in his hands, Peach reached into the collar of her dress, pulling out a frying pan, swinging it at him relentlessly. "Remember, Luigi! Please remember!" She didn't want to fight him. She wanted Luigi to return. Then she could bake him a cake to welcome him home and everything would be happy. She wanted everything to be happy again.

L took a hit to the arm, feeling the impact reverberate throughout his body. She was stronger than she looked. She fought with intent, but it just wasn't enough. He wrapped a hand around the pan, emitting some of the darkness and causing everything but the handle to simply disappear. Catching Peach by surprise, he stepped forward, placing a hand on her chest and sending a jolt of electricity through her, throwing her backwards.

Rolling several times, Peach came to a stop, sprawled out on the floor. She curled up, gripping at her heart. While her brooch had somehow stopped most of the attack, it still hurt, feeling like her heart would suddenly stop. But she was still very much alive; L hadn't done enough to kill her. He was in there somewhere. Luigi was still there.

Mario looked on almost in horror. He had truly expected that attack to kill Peach yet there she lay, writhing in pain. Mario silently agreed with her conclusions. Luigi was still in there somewhere, holding back the power and perhaps even fighting against Dimentio's control. Perhaps if he weakened L's physical form, Luigi would be able to mentally regain control. Mario wasn't entirely sure if that would work, but he also wasn't sure it _wouldn't_. But if the actor was seeping into the character, as Dimentio had put it, after L had fought with Mario, perhaps another fight would cause the seeping once again. It was worth a shot. A very long shot.

Taking a wide stance turned slightly sideways, Mario drew both hands back before thrusting them forward, shooting off a large red fireball. L frowned. Was his rival just a one-trick goomba? Disgraceful. He sprang into the air, using his superior jumping ability with ease, gathering lightning at his fingers once again only to realize Mario was no longer standing in his original spot. The fireball was a distraction.

As L descended, he searched for Mario. He couldn't find him until Mario had sprung up, matching L's jump. In the air, Mario used the force of momentum to swing his leg around for enough of a kick to send L off in the opposite direction and into a column. Mario landed, concern washing over him. Perhaps he overdid it.

" _See that's your problem, Mr. Hero,_ " L taunted as he pulled himself from the rubble of the collapsed black column. " _You don't fight with the intent to kill me._ "

"I don't want to kill you," Mario countered, still poised for battle.

L scoffed. " _You're too soft!_ " Using his jumping ability, L sprang forward instead of up, launching himself in one great stride at Mario. They were enemies. No matter what the man in red attempted to say, it didn't change anything. Mario would always be superior. It was how it always was. L would always be his shadow, but now that was about to change. This time, L would be the victor. The Dark Star pulsing within his heart drew out that anger, emphasizing it and turning it into raw power.

Mario didn't move as L rocketed towards him, gathering lightning at his hands once again. He stood firmly, his stance strong despite the concern on his face. He wanted so desperately to bring his brother back that he'd take a hit for the team, just to jar even a single memory to bring Luigi back into control.

As they collided, green lightning and red fire shot out in all directions. Daisy used her body as a shield to protect Peach from it, taking several bolts of lightning to her shoulders and the fire singing at her dress.

Mimi scampered over, snatching Peach's parasol and opening it to shield herself and both princesses. They were L's real family. She was truthfully jealous of them. She wanted L to be hers. The two had plans to find rubees and eat lots of pasta once the quest for the star shards was over. It was becoming painfully obvious that would never happen, that L would leave her. But he didn't belong here. While she certainly would have no problem penning up some cuties for her own collection, L was something else. He was the closest person she had to a best friend. She couldn't do that to him. Like the Count, L deserved to be happy.

The lightning and fire dwindled. The two were both standing. L had launched forward, both hands out to attack Mario with everything he had. Mario had countered, catching L's hands in his, causing a standoff between the two. They stared at one another, attempting to push the other over like two kids on a playground. Both had been hit with the other's attack, yet both still stood, attempting to outsurvive the other.

" _I will be number one!_ " L hissed, attempting to use his height to topple Mario.

"That's just it!" Mario countered, holding his ground despite his smaller height. "You've always been number one to me."

L stared for a moment. It couldn't be true. There was no way. The Dark Star pulsed within his heart, causing him to resume the attempt to push Mario over. " _Don't lie to me!_ " He silently called more lightning to his hands.

Mario could feel the static electricity nip at his fingers. It hurt, but he still didn't let go. He generated a little fire to counteract and hopefully deter L from a full scale attack. One at such a close range could easily harm both of them and possibly everyone around them. "I would never lie to you. I've always been jealous of your height and cooking ability."

L paused once again, staring incredulously as the lightning from his fingers fizzling out. Mario's words were nearly impossible to believe, yet he knew somewhere within him that Mario simply didn't lie. Could he have thought completely wrong? That they were both simply jealous of each other and that they were both number one in the other's eyes?

He could feel the Dark Star coursing through his veins. It hurt. All he could feel was pain. He felt like he was watching everything happen and he was no longer in control. It felt like living a nightmare. He leaned forward just slightly, his eyes shining the usual vibrant blue as Luigi had surfaced for a split second. "Forgive me."

Lightning coursed through L, manifesting as a powerful burst which threw Mario far across the room. A smug smirk spanned his lips as the anger and destructive power of the Dark Star took over once again. " _Looks like I'm number one now._ "

She was bumped, scraped, and singed, but Daisy stood up anyway. She was still wearing her tennis dress, perfect for combat, even though part of it was ruined when she used her body to shield Peach. This was Dimentio's and the Dark Star's doing. It was all their fault. She wasn't good at magic, and she'd lost the only hope they had into a vein of nothingness. She only knew how to hit things. Perhaps she could hit the star out of him.

Unlike Mario and Peach, Daisy had no method to her attacks. She didn't think them through, nor was she particularly strategic. She had almost caught L by surprise as she dashed forward and suddenly changed directions on the shift of her weight, swinging her leg around for a strong kick from the side. She felt the impact of her shin strike his arm as he guarded against her. "Wake up!"

Her attack wasn't strong but it was sharp and accurate, no wasted energy whatsoever. He pressed against her leg, intent on knocking her over but she withdrew quickly and suddenly. Using the momentum of the recoiled swing, she swung her body around for a few twirls before attempting another roundhouse kick to his backside.

She was quick, but so was he. They both could match one another in speed and skill. L used the strength in his legs to spring into the air. Twisting himself around to face her direction, he fired off several small balls of electricity. They weren't strong, but he didn't have time to charge up a large attack just yet. He'd simply have to slow her down.

Yet Daisy didn't slow down. She used her quick reflexes to dodge the balls. She didn't have the strength Mario had or the strategy Peach had, but she could still fight in her own way. She could feel the pain from the attack earlier which sent shocks through her arms. She had to act quickly and attempt to subdue L and bring him back into the light. "Listen to me!" She outstretched her arms to the side.

He landed on one foot before launching himself forward. " _I'm done listening!_ " He knew Daisy was preparing something. No one would be dumb enough to take such a pose without purpose. If she were simply attempting to reason with him, then he'd simply take advantage of the situation. He gathered thunder in his fingertips, charging for a larger attack.

Daisy was expecting the maneuver. It was pretty expected, given how that stupid Dimentio and the Dark Star had controlled him both were. Luigi had never really been the strategic one, but he was highly intelligent. His movements seemed controlled and even restrained, as if the Luigi inside were still fighting somehow.

In a sweeping motion, she drew her hands together, calling upon her own special power. It wasn't magic, just a skill she had, perhaps passed down to her through her own bloodline. Maybe it was Dalia's power resonating inside her, or her own, or a combination of the two. She never was truly sure, but it didn't matter at the moment. She simply had to stop L and release him from Dimentio's control. "There's something I didn't tell you before!" Flowers bloomed in the ground, contrasting the black bleakness of the castle floors. "I stupidly just never said it."

Flower petals rose up, following her motions in a flurry. They shielded the attack, obscuring L's line of sight. He paused, attempting to shield himself from the petals. The attack wasn't strong, but it was enough to be a hindrance. The flowers were so numerous it felt like a torrential downpour of petals. " _This will not stop the green thunder._ " He fired off several bolts of thunder in Daisy's direction.

One of the bolts clipped her arm. She grimaced, gritting her teeth for a moment, but continuing her attack. It was their last hope. She had to wake him up. "I have a crush on you!" she shouted. "I want you to go on a date with me!"

L paused, lightning snaking up his arm before being absorbed back into his body. His hand was outstretched, poised for an attack, yet he made no move to carry it through. "Y-you do?"

Luigi was still in there somewhere, speaking out in a voice not warped by the star. It was his voice. She heard it when Mario had jarred him slightly earlier. She had to try to keep him in control long enough that he could overpower the Dark Star and that other persona inside of him. "Of course I do!"

L twisted his brow into a sad knot. She reciprocated his feelings. She must've been waiting a long time for him to simply ask her out, but he'd been too afraid to do so. He wanted to reach out to her, but his own body simply wouldn't respond. He was fighting against both Dimentio's control and the Dark Star's surging power. He felt like he was fighting against the under toe in the ocean of his own mind, struggling to stay afloat and not very well. He wasn't strong like the others. He was afraid of nearly everything. He had his moments of bravery but he drew his strength mostly from Mario. His older brother was everything to him, and now he'd nearly killed him. And Peach. And Mimi. And possibly now Daisy.

He felt himself slipping under the surface once again, pulled by something cold and incredibly loathsome. He tried to reach for the surface, yet it drew farther and farther away from him. It was quickly becoming more arduous to fight. _I'm sorry everyone_. _I'm not strong enough_.

Lightning surged through him as he sent a massive jolt from his extended hand. The jolt branched several times, enveloping the entire area where Daisy stood. Several of the branched bolts impacted her, causing her flower power to dispel. The lightning hurt. It stung as it sliced her skin and some of her dress. The power threw her into the air and backwards, the toy she had so well guarded since this ordeal began flying in the opposite direction. She reached out, attempting to grab it and keep it safe, but it just brushed her fingertips before spiraling away from her. She hit the ground hard, rolling several times until she impacted some of the debris from the broken columns and barely missed a vein of nothingness.

The toy clattered to the floor, bouncing before finally landing upright. The little goomba shoe began to move with a little whirr sound, scooting along the floor before impacting L's boot and toppling over to the side.

Daisy attempted to push herself back to her feet, but the pain from the impact sent a nasty twinge down her arms. Still laying prone on the ground, she attempted to reach forward to drag herself towards L, but stopped, gasping as she saw L pick the toy up. The last star shard was now in his hands. The Dark Star would finally be complete and Daisy had no means to stop it. It was all over now, wasn't it?

…

 **Author's musings**

A bit of a long chapter, actually the longest I've ever written for a fanfic. And this is after I split it into two chapters. But I really wanted to showcase each person's fighting style, how differently they all think and attempt to jar L long enough for Luigi to surface. Each one has their different ways of handling battles, their techniques, their strengths and weaknesses. I wanted each one to shine and the battle to be freaking epic.

 **References:**

"Alien invasions, galactic battles, rampant emotions" – Peach is referencing several games here. Super Mario Land, Mario Galaxy, and Super Princess Peach respectively.

Peach's attacks – Mostly based on her Super Smash Bros appearances

Daisy's flower attack – a special maneuver that shows up in multiple sports games.


	20. Destruction

L picked up the goomba shoe toy as it collided with his boot. He held it in his hands, cradling it as he stared at it. He was entranced by it. Something panged at the back of his mind, a sense of familiarity and perhaps a bit of hope. He'd made this, the memories of it feeling like a fleeting dream. The hours he toiled in a secret workshop under a lamp with a magnifying glass as he pieced together the tiny cogs and gears with a special piece to make the inner workings.

How long ago was that? He could feel himself swimming to the surface of his own mind, reaching for the light ahead. He had to regain control. He had to remember. But the power within him surged suddenly, dragging him back down into the depths of his own mind. He could feel the Dark Star pulsing more strongly, fighting to take control once again.

"Finally~!" Dimentio rose from the Count's throne, his arms outspread dramatically. It was as he thought. The so-called heroes _were_ hiding the last shard, but now it was in L's hands. He smiled even larger when L emitted a burst of energy backwards, almost in the shape of large black wings.

"Try as you might, but the actors cannot deviate from the script," Dimentio stated smugly. He'd won, finally writing the final act in his grandiose play. It was a tragedy for the players, but for the playwright, it was a heroic journey. He'd rewrite everything, just as he'd planned so many years ago.

He placed a hand smugly on L's shoulder. "Absorb it. Fulfill your final role."

L stared at the toy in his hands as it whirred, unwinding the last of the coil inside. He couldn't destroy the toy. It symbolized so much to him and everyone around. And to think he'd created it with so much power inside without even realizing how much trouble a fallen star could be.

His breath grew short, almost gasping, as the power surged within him yet so did the memories. He did remember making this and debating on how to give it to Daisy. He recalled speaking with Mario about it, showing it to him and asking his opinion. He knew where every piece had originated, when he meticulously picked out every gear and wheel.

But what good was remembering? He was tainted, the Dark Star's power coursing through his veins. It had become a part of him, and this last piece would turn him into a destructive force no one could stop. He'd nearly killed all of his friends and his own brother.

But there was something he desired. All sides and aspects of himself. He wanted to play the hero. Just once. Curling the toy in one hand, he took the other, ramming it into Dimentio's side as hard as he could. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The impact caused an unscripted reaction. The Dark Star tapped into L's anger and hatred for the pain Dimentio had caused, turning the nothingness back onto Dimentio. The power he sought to control ended up consuming him, erasing him from existence. For the first time, Dimentio frowned. The play was supposed to end in renewal, not tragedy. The greatest play would never be complete.

The Star was now without a master to command its power. L could feel it surge within him. He dropped the toy, staggering back a few steps as the power felt like it could rip him apart. He wrapped his arms across his chest, doubling over. He had to stop it, but he wasn't strong enough to control it.

Lightning sparked from his body as his own power began to surge as well. His breathing became even shorter. He felt as if he'd suffocate first. Watching his own body nearly kill everyone he cared about was torture enough. Yet now, as he stood in the middle of the room, kicking up a storm of wind, thunder, and swirls of darkness as his own power and the Star's overcharged, he could feel the futility of the situation. He couldn't separate himself from the star, but perhaps he could make it disappear. Perhaps he could turn himself into nothingness and save everyone. "Forgive me."

L paused as Mario wrapped himself around his brother. "Let go!" He couldn't touch him. He risked turning Mario into nothingness. He couldn't bear to do something like that.

Mario only gripped tighter, fighting against the strong wind and lightning attempting to push him farther away. "I can't do that, Luigi. I can't lose you again." He couldn't bear the thought of it. He'd already seen Luigi die once. It was a nightmare come true. He truly believed he would never see his brother again, that he'd be without his other half. His heart had filled with so much pain. He almost felt that he couldn't continue on, but he believed Luigi would never want him to give up everything.

And yet, here he was alive, in danger, his younger brother now fighting for his life. "I won't lose you again." The gravity of the situation was getting to him. He pressed his face into his brother's shoulder.

"The star is... a part of me," he protested between breaths. L felt as though he had swallowed sandpaper, and it was scraping at the insides of his lungs. It hurt to breath. He could barely hold himself much less push Mario away. "I can't... I won't... let you-" His sentence cut short as the power surged again, forcing him to grit his teeth and grab at his sides again.

"We'll find a way to force it out of you." Mario refused to let go, despite the pain the energy was causing him. The wind blew off his hat and cut at his skin. The lightning burnt, but nothing would stop him. "Everything I said is true. You are my number one hero. I won't give up until you're back to you. I love you, bro. I can't lose you again."

"Imposs-" The power surged once again, and L let out an agonizing scream as the power shot out of his backside, forming a large black star surging with power. A bright light formed at the center of the star, overtaking it until it became brighter than the sun. The star shattered with a loud crash, sending shards flying in all directions before they simply disappeared and the light subsided. L had collapsed to the ground, Mario shielding him with his own body. Neither stirred as the light diminished.

"Mario! Luigi!" Daisy staggered forward. She'd never heard a scream like that. It sent chills running a marathon on her spine. The sound of the Dark Star finally shattering was deafening, but none of that mattered. She had to make sure they were both still alive. She staggered and limped, nearly falling on her face as she collapsed next to them. She nudged them gingerly, expecting the worst.

Mario stirred, uncurling from where he lay. He peered up at Daisy for a moment before peering back down at his brother. "He's alive and star-free, just exhausted." His mind was probably in a knot, but in time, hopefully they could both sort things out together and undo whatever Dimentio had done to him.

Daisy sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness!" She felt all the anxiety simply melt away. She wasn't sure what she would do if they both died. They both meant so much to her. But now that they were still with the living, she patted Mario on the shoulder, taking to her feet once again. "I'm gonna go check on Peach." She trod across the room with weary steps, flopping down next to her best friend.

"I'm alright," Peach finally stirred, the shocks finally dissipating from her body. She finally sat up, placing a hand on her head. She had missed watching the battle ensue, but she heard it as she was curled up in pain. L had hit her with that bolt of lightning pretty hard, but thankfully it wasn't nearly enough to kill her. "I'm so relieved you're both still in one piece."

Mimi finally stood up and trod over to the front of the room, pausing only briefly to glance at L. He still had her bowtie wrapped around his wrist. She offered a small smile before continuing, kneeling down to check on Nastasia. She prodded her a few times, shaking her shoulder. "Nastasia... Please wake up."

Daisy glanced over. She had noticed the collapsed figure before but her mind had been occupied with L. The name Mimi murmured sounded vaguely familiar as she watched the blue woman finally stir back to life and search for her glasses. So much had happened in the last few days that much of Daisy's mind was still a blur. But then it occurred to her exactly where she heard the name. She wasn't certain if Dimentio was to be believed but the name certainly wasn't a coincidence. "H-hey! Aren't you the one who made Luigi into Mr. L?" she jabbed a finger at Nastasia.

Nastasia rubbed at her temples before looking up to Daisy. "So yeah, I did schedule him for a brainwashing. It was all to fulfil this stupid false prophecy, to help the count find his lost love. I feel awful about it. I wanted to release him, but Dimentio played us all before we even realized what happened, k?"

Daisy huffed, ready to pounce the blue woman, but quickly jarred from her thoughts as the black and white world began to shake violently.

"Without that dimensional witch, the place must be ceasing to exist," Peach reasoned with urgency. "We must find a way home!"

Daisy staggered, promptly falling over and wincing with pain. That ankle really hurt and the shoulder that she attempted to catch herself with did too. "I bet that stupid Whoa Zone is nothingness now too. Damn that dimension witch."

Even after the situation felt so bleak, even when the spread of nothingness had finally ceased and the battle won. Without the path in the Whoa Zone, they had no means to return home. Mario peered up hopefully at Mimi, who busied herself by helping Nastasia to her feet. She peered back at him. She felt hurt. L was no longer her friend. He belonged to them, but they had saved L. It was all so confusing. But L had placed his trust in her. "I know a way. Follow Mimi!"

They were all fairly injured, but they all followed the green girl through the twists and turns of the black and white hallways, past the kitchen where the minions often spent dinner, past the room she wished to collect cute boys and rubees in, past the training room where O'chunks spent his time chunking dummies. The hallway crumbled behind them, nearly nipping at their heels as they ran. Finally they had reached their potential destination. L's workshop.

Mimi quickly opened the door, ushering everyone inside before quickly shutting it. The place felt so empty. Robotic parts littered the floor. The large bay where Brobot once sat was empty. It felt lonely and abandoned. Mimi pushed scrap parts and schematics over on the workbench, searching for something. L had shown it to her once, a device he often kept on his hand. He was working on a second, more improved version, and Mimi hoped that genius managed to complete it before Dimentio got to him. She couldn't find it. She began yanking the drawers out. "Where is it?!" With L unconscious, she wasn't able to ask for his help.

The doorway groaned loudly, collapsing under its own weight as the castle continued to crumble. They didn't have much time, sending Mimi to rummage through the drawers even more fervently. Finally she'd found it. The incomplete device. It had that orb thing he used to jump worlds and only one connector to attach to the thumb, not that she needed it. Her hands were tiny compared to his. The bigger problem was L had never shown her how it worked. As the world crumbled around them, leaving them only the floor near the workbench to stand upon. And soon, even that had crumbled away, leaving no trace of the black and white world behind.

…

 **Author's ramblings**

The final battle!

I had debated for some time on who would help Luigi fight the Dark Star. My last story, Daisy was the hero, and I had thought about focusing on Daisy and Luigi's relationship. However, the focus in this story has always been family – how L became family with the minions, the search for lost family and how it affected Mario – and so logically Mario was the best choice. And so it's familial bonds that are ultimately victorious.


	21. Faded memories

_Mimi peered around the black and white door frame. It was late. She needed a snack, but there was a problem. That L was in the way. Sure he was an excellent cook but he was still a jerk. She had expected to smell that aroma of pasta and those strange balls of meat again, but the smell wafting from the kitchen was sweet._

 _He stood at the counter, busying himself with a sugary treat. He was baking a small chocolate cake, decorating it with a mechanical almost robotic pattern drawn out in icing. Mimi gaped, attempting to peer around him from a distance. The last thing she expected from that jerk was an artistic talent._

" _What do you want?" he glared at her over his shoulder a moment before turning back to his work._

 _She opened her mouth to fuss but she stopped. He had called her Mims earlier that day, the first time he'd called her something other than Junior. "Cake."_

 _L frowned. "Get your own."_

 _Mimi flared up. "You can't eat that whole thing by yourself, you jerk!"_

 _He pulled a large knife from the drawer, carefully slicing into his decorated work. He peered over his shoulder with a cocky smirk. "What, are you so junior you can't make your own cake?"_

 _Mimi flared up even more, falling for L's taunts. "Give Mimi cake now!"_

Mimi frowned, lying on her back, staring up at the sky. Beside her sat a slice of very decorative cake, but she had barely touched it. It just wasn't the same. That pink princess was a good baker, baking a massive cake with pink frosting to celebrate their return to the Mushroom World and victory over the Dark Star a few days prior, but it just still didn't feel the same.

It just didn't feel like a victory. The count was gone. O'chunks had gone missing, Nastasia leaving to search for him. Her only friend L wasn't even real. Before she had left, Nastasia informed Mimi that Luigi, the real Mr. L, wouldn't remember any of his service to the count, that he would return to his original form when he returned to consciousness. Mimi easily could've traveled with Nastasia in search of that chunking oaf and any signs of the count, but for some reason, she stayed behind. This Mushroom World was weird. She felt like she didn't belong, but she didn't really belong anywhere.

"Would you like some company?" The man in green peered down at her with a friendly smile. "It's more fun to watch the clouds with someone else."

She peered up at him, frowning sharply. "You're blocking my view, greeny." He had the same silhouette that L did, but that smile was definitely not his. The man had to be Luigi, L's host that knew nothing about her.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, stepping to the side and sitting down next to her.

Mimi frowned even more, frustrated. _This_ was L's original form?! There was just no way it was him. The two were complete opposites. Sure they had the same shape and thing for green, but there was just no way. "Go away."

"Do I look like I care if you want my company or not, Mims?"

Mimi's eyes shot wide open as she nearly leapt to her feet. "L?!" She stared at Luigi who stared back at her wide-eyed, both hands clamped over his mouth. That was definitely his voice and manner of talking but only the two of them were here sitting in the castle courtyard. She scooted over, taking to her hands and knees to get in Luigi's face, scrutinizing him harshly.

"I-I'm sorry!" he stammered in return. "It just sort of came out." He looked as though he wished to shrink into the grass and disappear.

Mimi sat back down, still staring. "It _is_ you. But how? I didn't think that you would even remember. You do remember, right?"

Luigi sighed in relief as Mimi sat back down. He stared down at his hands. Moments ago, he felt it was all just some nightmare. Fighting his brother, becoming a villain, but it wasn't all bad. There was this green in his dream. The green had befriended him. "Bits and pieces. I remember shapes and colors, conversations and something about a kitchen. It's all surreal, like a strange dream that felt real."

"But it was real!" Mimi protested. "Well… to me at least." She deflated a little. Mr. L still wasn't real. He was just a fabrication, one that would never return. "Nastasia said you wouldn't remember anything, that L would never come back."

Luigi pursed his lips together. She was truly upset about this odd persona that only moments before he thought was a dream. He recalled the name. Mr. L. He'd heard it several times in his dreams. "I'm not sure if L will return or even if he's real. But it seems he's a part of me or something. I'm not really sure anymore. But this green Mims was important to him. Or to me. How does this actually work?"

She perked up a little bit. He remembered her somehow.

He frowned confused at how exactly it _did_ work. "I remember pasta in the kitchen and competing and jumping through portals to work together and there was some sort of conspiracy we tried to uncover. Well L and Mims did. Technically that is we, isn't it? Look. I'm not him. Well I am but not really. Maybe Luigi can be friends with Mims, too."

She stared at him for a moment. Those were L's memories, but the person speaking was so drastically different. "You're not much like him."

"I'm realizing this," Luigi frowned a bit.

"You're kind of a wuss."

"You're not wrong."

Mimi frowned. He admitted it so quickly. Nastasia did say something about removing inhibitions and fears. The original L really was a wussy guy. But there was something about him, something that still reminded her of L, just not an overbearingly arrogant jerk L.

"I would…" he paused. He didn't often say what he wanted to do, just going along with everyone else. But he was his own person too. The more he thought about it, the more he felt those memories of a more confident self, a bit too much on the arrogant side, but more confident than he normally was. Perhaps things didn't need to always be so frightening. "I would like us to be friends, secret partners in crime of sorts. But not committing crimes." He held out his hand to her.

She stared down at it for a moment. Sure he wasn't exactly _her_ L but he was still L in a way. Dimentio was wrong about him. This real L wasn't entirely a pushover. He was stronger, able to handle memories he thought weren't his own. Perhaps she truly could befriend this green weirdo. She did want a place to belong, after all, and where better than beside someone she'd come to trust as her own family. She conceded and placed her small hand in his with a small smile in return. "It'll be our secret. But you have to make some more of that roof tile pasta for Mimi."

He smiled brightly. "It's a promise." Perhaps one day he could sort out what had happened, what he remembered. This mysterious Mr. L was a part of him, a surprisingly villainous side that had somehow befriended a lonely strange green girl over pasta. Not too surprising. Even a villainous Luigi could still make friends. It was a talent of his. "Would you like to join us for a round of golf?"

"Golf?" she stared at him. "What's that and why is it round?"

He laughed, amused. "It's a game. Come, I'll show you how to play. We can invite everyone and have a competition, teams of two to see who can play the best game."

A competition? Now that she understood. "L and Mimi, unbeatable combination in this round golf competition!"

Luigi smiled brightly. This mysterious other half of himself maybe wasn't so frightening after all. "The princesses are pretty competitive, you know."

Mimi scoffed, climbing on his shoulders. She was surprisingly light, hanging off his shoulders like a stringy green backpack. "Giving up already or are you afraid to beat the pants off your girlfriend?" She'd heard Daisy's confession in that battle against the Dark Star. She could put two and two together.

Luigi flushed bright red before suddenly scoffing. "As if." There was that L showing through again. It wouldn't necessarily be the worst to have some confidence and competitiveness in him. He'd just make sure not to have the evil villain show through. "I mean, let's do our best, and by best, I mean be number one."

… **.**

 **Author's musings**

Thank you for reading! I hope you all enjoyed my story!


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